Despite being poll partners in West Bengal, both BJP and Trinamool Congress had fielded their candidates from Mendinapur in the last Lok Saha elections even though the seat was allotted to the regional outfit as part of the seat sharing pact. It is another matter that the CPM's Indrajit Gupta won the seat pushing BJP and Trinamool Congress into the second and third positions in the constituency respectively.

"I have appealed to the BJP central leadership to take up the issue with the BJD leadership," said Pani.

Pani, who had given aclose fight to the former union minister, KP Singdeo, in 1996 elections, has groomed the constituency during the last one decade. However, to his bad luck the seat went to the BJD last time as part of the poll pact between BJP and BJD in the state.

But, this time Pani is determined to contest the election from the seat. The BJP organisation in the constitution is also strongly backing his case. BJP's frontal youth organisation has passed an unanimous resolution backing the candidature of Pani.

The tussle between the BJP and BJD reached a flash point on Tuesday when Pani went to the residence of Naveen Patnaik and threatened that he would contest as an independent in the constituency if the alliance partners are not considering his candidature. Coincidentally, the BJD chief was discussing with his party colleagues to finalise the candidate for the Dhenkanal seat when Pani barged into his room on Tuesday.

Pani's stand may further sour the relationship between BJP and BJD in Orissa. The BJP-BJDrelationship has embittered over the issue of seat sharing. The BJP repeated request for a co-ordination meeting to discuss about the seats has so far not been responded by BJD. BJP in Orissa is demanding two more seats besides its share of nine. However, Naveen Patnaik has clarified that there is no question of review of the seat sharing between the two parties as the BJP central leadership has endorsed that the two partners will contest from the constituencies they had fought last time.BJP is unhappy with BJD for the later is not taking it to confidence while inducting leaders from the breakaway groups of the Janata Dal. Worse, the BJD is inducting leaders who have defected from the BJP.