According to sources, former MPs Bhatruhari Mahtab and Braja Kishore Tripathy and BJD chief whip in the State Assembly Maheswar Mahanty have initiated the latest compromise move. These leaders are in touch with both the groups and are working to organise a meeting between Patnaik and Mahapatra before the former leaves for New Delhi on June 23.

Patnaik returned to Bhubaneswar from Laxmipur after spearheading the BJD's campaign in the by-poll for five days.

Sources in the party, however, maintained that the compromise bid has not made any progress. Both the loyalists and rebels are rigid on their respective stands and political observers do not think any of the groups is prepared to give in for party unity.

According to sources, while the rebels will want Naveen Patnaik to restore status quo before any talksfor compromise, the loyalists will oppose reappointment of rebel leader Mahapatra as the chairman of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC). They will, however, not oppose if Mahapatra is taken in as an ordinary member of the PAC.

Sources said that the latest compromise bid is the last effort to save the party from a definite split. Political observers do not rule out a split in the BJD before the monsoon session of the Assembly beginning on July two. The rebels have already made up their mind for a break with the parent party if nothing materialised by then.

However, both the loyalists and rebels do not see the possibility of the latest compromise bid succeeding. Mutual distrust is so deep that it is not possible to remain in the same party and work as colleagues, a prominent rebel leader said.