Lucknow: In a sensational claim that is sure to rattle the state BJP in the year before the next assembly elections, its Unnao MP Sakshi Maharaj has accused the party's state president Laxmikant Bajpai and and MLC Hriday Narain Dixit of taking money to sell out the vidhan parishad poll's tickets.The schism in the state BJP has come to the fore just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party's national chief Amit Shah are making trip to UP over next few days.Both Bajpai and Dixit have vehemently denied the allegation. BJP spokesperson IP Singh, on the other hand, went to the extent of calling Sakshi 'a libility on the party'. A peeved Bajpai told TOI: "Today, I am leaving for Varanasi and would try to meet the prime minister to apprise him about the baseless allegations by Sakshi to weaken the BJP at a crucial time."After Sakshi levelled the allegations during a TV debate on Saturday night, BJP leaders went into a damage-control mode. "I have already informed the party's state in charge Om Mathur about Sakshi's allegations and demanded action against him. I will also send a detailed report to party chief Amit shah in a day or two," Bajpai said.Sakshi's other target, Dixit, who is also a part of the three-member committee looking after the PM's constituency Varanasi, said, "Even my political opponents would not stoop so low. After nearly 50 years of political journey , in which I have been a cabinet minister and a legislator five times, what I have are a few books, a few clothes and a tattered house."Political analysts feel that the coming council elections for local bodies have not only brought the infighting in the state BJP to the fore, but also exposed its state of preparedness for the big battle next year. "Out of 36 council seats going to the polls, BJP could get candidates for just 21 seats and five of them defected to SP after filing the nominations."While the party has given a walkover to the ruling SP in the PM's constituency Varanasi by not fielding any candidate, its nominee in home minister Rajnath Singh's constituency Lucknow joined SP after getting the ticket. It couldn't get a candidate also in Gorakhpur, represented by Yogi Aditynath in parlimaent while its Meerut candidate also turned out to be a deserter. Meerut is the hometown of the state chief Bajpeyi.The infighting in the state BJP has intendified as a time when the Central leadership is focussing its attention on the state for the 2017 polls. Amit Shah has already held a meeting of state leadership to discuss strategies. Modi will be in Varanasi on Monday and in Bareilly on February 25. He will also address a yuva morcha conclave in Vrindavan in the first week of March.