With factional feud in Himachal BJP coming into the open, party president Nitin Gadkari is understood to have summoned senior leaders from the poll-bound state including chief minister P.K. Dhumal and his bete noire Shanta Kumar to Delhi to resolve the crisis.

The latest round of acrimony precipitated after BJP MLA Khushi Ram Balnatah, who is said to be from the Shanta Kumar camp, demanded change in leadership, prompting the party to issue a show cause notice to him for indiscipline.

State Health Minister Rajiv Bindal, who is from the Dhumal camp, has been appointed state general secretary under pressure from Shanta Kumar group and he has announced that he will resign from the cabinet on June 25.

But the Shanta Kumar camp is till demanding major shake up in the party. Kumar has repeatedly said publicly that the 'Mission repeat' to bring BJP back to power in assembly elections later this year would not be achieved unless corrupt elements were weeded out and the dissident leaders who have floated the Himachal Lokhit Party were taken back into party fold.

With assembly elections just four months away, the party high command was seriously concerned about the disturbing developments in the party and trying to bring both the warring factions together, party sources said.

Assembly elections would be held following delimitation this time and at least half a dozen prominent leaders have either lost their seats and they are in search of "safe" constituencies, creating resentment among other members.

BJP MP from Kangra Rajan Sushant had already raised a banner of revolt and had been suspended from the party while a large number of senior leaders including former state president and three time Lok sabha MP Maheshwar Singh, former ministers Radha Raman Shashtri, Mohinder Sofat and Shyama Sharma have already left the BJP and floated the Himachal Lokhit Party.