The party had early last week expelled for six years three prominent dissidents from the state former state president Tarakant Jha, former MP Kameshwar Paswan and Yashodanand Singh (MLC) but preferred to go slow on Yadav's fate.

``He too has been served a show-cause notice for indulging in anti-party activities by our party president Kushabhau Thakre, but, as far as my information goes, has not given his reply so far,'' observed Bihar BJP chief Nand Kishore Yadav while speaking to The Indian Express here yesterday.

Asked whether Buxar MP Lalmuni Choubey, another prominent dissident, had also been served show-cause notice, Yadav replied by saying that he was not aware of it.

The five dissidents had launched a campaign for the removal of BJP general secretary K N Govindacharya as the party's in-charge of the Bihar unit.The latter was subsequently shifted from the state, and replaced with Kailashpati Mishra, who is one of the vice-presidents of the BJP.

Yadav justified the move to expel the three BJP leaders. ``It was the only way out for the party. A message had to be sent that you could not stay in the organisation if you continued to indulge in indiscipline and anti-party activities,'' he asserted.

Asked whether Govindacharya's removal would affect the party's prospects in Bihar, he replied in the negative.