The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's plans to contest on a joint manifesto with a common campaign seems to have come up against hurdles at the starting point itself.

While the BJP-led Government was busy with the Kargil operations, its alliance partners in various states gradually upped the ante. As the BJP found it increasingly difficult to handle Defence Minister George Fernandes, the Samata Party, led by him, created more problems for the BJP by raising the contentious issue ofseat-sharing.

The Bihar unit of the Samata Party reacted strongly to the BJP's intention to contest all 14 seats in Jharkhand, questioned former Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's unilateral announcement that Anand Mohan would be his party's candidate from Sheohar and demanded 28 out of 54 seats in the State - six more than the number it contested in 1998.

That stymies the BJP's plans to induct Janata Dal into its fold in Bihar. The party feels that by roping in the influential JD leader Ram Vilas Paswan, it can reduce the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal to a single-digit figure. But the Samata leaders' demands have put the BJP in a fix as the Samata Party was not willing to concede seats from its quota.

Senior Samata leader Nitish Kumar yesterday questioned the unilateral stand of the Bihar BJP leaders to contest all 14 Lok Sabha seats in South Bihar saying, ``My party is not dependent on anyone's crutches''. Nitish Kumar does not share a rapport with Anand Mohan and wants to field HariKishore Singh from Sheohar. Singh lost to Anand Mohan in the 1998 polls.

The BJP is facing similar problems from its allies in Uttar Pradesh. It had allowed the LCP to contest four seats and two each to the Samata Party and JBSP in 1998. While the LCP, due to internal squabbling, surrendered its seats to the BJP before the elections, only one Samata MP managed to win even as the JBSP failed to open its account the last time. If the three allies have together demanded 25 seats this time, it is because they want to take advantage of factional infighting in the State BJP unit.

Among the BJP's other allies, the Trinamool Congress is still to make up its mind on joining the NDA.