In an effort to expand the National Democratic Alliance's base ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders are busy wooing non-Congress parties into the BJP-led alliance for pre-poll and post-poll understanding.

As the first step, senior BJP Vice President and Convenor for the Lok Sabha polls, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, convened an hour long meeting with Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, who is officially with the United National Progressive Alliance.

RLD members have been sulking against a non-starter alliance stuck with Bahujan Samaj Party of Uttar Pradesh [Images] Chief Minister Mayawati [Images].

The BJP, which had an alliance with Ajit Singh's party, is only renewing its contacts, sources said.

The meeting is significant for the BJP, which is bound to make all efforts to enhance its leverage in Uttar Pradesh, the country's largest state in terms of population, sources in the BJP said, confirming the meeting.

Important parties in the scanner are non-Congress parties like All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa, Asom Gana Parishad and Indian National Lok Dal of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.

Senior party leaders Jaswant Singh, M Venkaiah Naidu, Arun aitley, Sushma Swaraj and Ravishankar Prasad have some ground work in building bridges with the 'like-minded parties'.

Even the post-poll scenario is being carefully worked out taking into account the possibilities of no alliance getting a total majority.

Sources say BJP may contest 350 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats, leaving the rest to alliance partners and the party's concentration will be on those 290 seats from where it had either won or stood second in the in the Lok Sabha polls in the last 10 years.

However, these calculations may have little meaning since geographical boundaries of several constituencies have undergone changes both for General and Reserved seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

After having projected Leader of Opposition L K Advani [Images] as the BJP-NDA's next prime ministerial nominee, the party also wanted to announce the names of the MPs and has even finalised a handful of nominees, but decided to go slow in view of the vacillating loyalties displayed by some lawmakers in the July 22 confidence vote.

Now the party will not be just harping on the 'winnability' factor but also loyalty aspect, sources said. Regarding the post-poll understanding, the party is not ready to spell out its mind but feels that most anti-Congress parties would figure in the radar.

Given the BJP's equations with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati, there could be no post-poll understanding although one powerful section has not shut their post-poll options.

The major parties now in the NDA saddle are Janata Dal (United), Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), Biju Janata Dal, Shiv Sena, Swatantra Bharat Party of Sharad Joshi.

The status of Trinamool Congress is uncertain given the nature of West Bengal politics.