Late on Wednesday, following the five-and-a-half hour meeting, it was still unclear whether Pankaj would be persuaded to stand for the elections, especially after he had received the backing of both of Vajpayee and Advani.

Meanwhile, all sitting MLAs—save some defectors—have been accommodated in the party list, said party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Among them were Kalyan Singh’s son Rajbir and his wife.

Party sources said about 35 seats, mostly in eastern Uttar Pradesh and a few in central areas of the state had been kept aside for the Apna Dal, while about 15 seats had been earmarked for the JD(U). The announcement of 316 seats had been made keeping in mind the preferences of the allies, party sources said.

In keeping with the party’s plans, more than a third of the candidates are youth leaders and were being given the party ticket in an effort to infuse new energy into the party organisation. More than 100 of the candidates are first timers, while women candidates will be fielded in over 20 seats.