At a lengthy meeting, the JD (U) leaders decided that both Samata Party president George Fernandes and Lok Shakti chief Ramakrishna Hegde would resign from their ministerial positions if Advani, who is siding with the BJP's Karnataka unit in opposing the tie-up, refuses to change his stance.

It was decided at the meeting that Fernandes, Hegde, Sharad Yadav, Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan would meet Advani on Friday. The suggestion for a meeting with Advani came from Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel.

He said that when he spoke with Advani on Wednesday he told him that neither Fernandes nor Hegde had even "whispered" the idea of the JD(U) being made an NDA constituent. The BJP leader told him that if the two leaders had discussed the proposal the party would have mentally prepared the State unit for accepting the tie-up.

The general view among the JD (U) leaders is that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is with them on the issue but Advani is the stumbling block. If Advani agrees, the State unit will give in. These leaders are firm about maintaining their unity under the JD (U) banner, come what may.

After giving positive indications towards a tie-up with the JD (U) on Wednesday, the BJP on Thursday dug in its heels saying there is no question of an alliance with the party in Karnataka and Bihar.

Karnataka BJP unit is understood to have protested against party chief Kushabhau Thakre's positive statement about the JD (U) joining the NDA. State BJP leaders B S Yediyurappa, Ananth Kumar and Basavaraj Patil Sedam met Thakre on Thursday morning but the latter did not give them much hope. The three left for Bangalore in the afternoon.Thakre also spoke to Hegde over the telephone.

With the stalemate continuing between the two parties on the alliance question, the JD (U) began flexing its muscles by announcing its candidates for five Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, three of which were won by the Lok Shakti in the 1998 elections.

The standoff points to an internal war of nerves between Vajpayee who has spoken positively about the need for an alliance with the JD (U) and Advani who is said to have no objections if the erstwhile Janata Dal (Sharad Yadav) contests the elections under the Samata Party and Lok Shakti banners.

Advani is of the view that an alliance with the JD (U) will only yield short-term gains and will hamper the BJP's growth in the long run. The Vajpayee camp on the other hand is looking to garner maximum support for the NDA in the post-poll scenario.

The JD (U) camp is incensed over the BJP's adamant attitude. Samata Party leader Digvijay Singh reflected the mood in the JD (U) when he said: "We are going aheadwith the finalisation of our candidates."

Asked if the Samata Party and the Lok Shakti will quit the NDA if the BJP continues to thwart its proposal, he remarked: "As a political party we have to think of our existence. We are not dependent on the BJP. We are not here for charity."