The rally is being held in the backdrop of the continued resistance from a section of the BJP, mainly the party's Karnataka unit, to the proposal of Samata Party leader George Fernandes and Lok Shakti chief Ramakrishna Hegde to make their unified party a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The `show of strength' planned by these leaders is intended to mount pressure on the BJP to accept their proposal. They have also been dropping more than subtle hints that the Samata Party and the Lok Shakti would sever ties with the NDA if the BJP did not accept the unified JD into its fold.

Besides Fernandes and Hegde, others attending the rally include Sharad Yadav (JD), Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel and Samata Party leader Nitish Kumar.

Meanwhile, the rival factions of the JDheaded by Sharad Yadav and H D Deve Gowda today filed written submissions with the Election Commission on their claims for allotment of the `wheel' symbol.

Both factions demanded that the symbol should not be frozen for use in the coming Lok Sabha elections and submitted documents to buttress their claims.

Gowda said that his faction had submitted a list of 410 members of the National Council and alleged that the rival faction had added 157 members to the body after the split on July 20.

Countering the allegation, Ram Vilas Paswan belonging to the Sharad Yadav group, charged that of the 410 affidavits of the National Council submitted by the rival group, 250 were forged.