Chitnis retained, Uma camp sees ‘victory’

With the much-awaited cabinet reshuffle in Bhopal taking place today, the BJP was abuzz with claims and counter-claims of what it meant for her. Her supporters claimed it was a ‘‘victory’’ for her since CM Babulal Gaur could not drop her loyalist Archana Chitnis. But Bharati’s phone calls to chief L.K. Advani in Islamabad and to general secretary Arun Jaitley in Delhi were attributed as the main reason for Chitnis’ survival.

Central leaders, however, dismissed the claim and said Chitnis had been retained because she was a feisty woman MLA. As the BJP was keen to project itself as a pro-women party and there were no charges of ‘‘lack of performance’’ against Chitnis, Gaur had been asked to retain her.

Advani, party sources said, had given broad instructions that the reshuffle should not be done along “pro-Uma or anti-Uma’’ lines but purely on “merit.’’ But since ’’merit’’ remains largely a subjective criterion, the reshuffle is being analysed from the viewpoint of factional politics.

Apart from Chitnis, the Uma camp is happy that Gaur could not drop arch Uma loyalist Dhal Singh Bisen and was “forced’’ to induct another loyalist Ajay Vishnoi.

But her detractors point out that Gaur has managed to establish his authority by giving cabinet rank to Himmat Kothari and Kusum Singh Meghele — both known for their antipathy towards the sanyasin.