JAIPUR: The faction-ridden Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan got more than a fair share of representation in the new national team announced by party president Rajnath Singh on Monday. The heavy representation, though partly an attempt to placate the groups involved, is considered more of a step made on a long-term perspective.

The exit of Sanjay Joshi, the general secretary (organisation), may not be good news for the faction opposed to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje in the State. Though Education Minister Ghan Shyam Tiwari, a strong critic of Ms. Raje, has managed to find a place in the national executive along with Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria as an invitee, former State president Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi has been dropped from the body.

Mr. Chaturvedi had been actively campaigning in the past against the re-nomination of Mahesh Sharma as the State party president. Mr. Sharma, said to be a choice of Ms. Raje, was finally made the party chief here last week.

The party has retained Kailash Meghwal, who had been one of the aspirants for the post, as vice-president. However he would not be holding the post of the president of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha any more.

If Mr. Meghwal has been left out as morcha president, another party leader and MP from Udaipur, Kiran Maheshwari, has been chosen as the new president of the Mahila Morcha.

Ramdas Agarwal, Member of Parliament and former president of Rajasthan BJP, has been made the treasurer of the party while the newly inducted general secretary (organisation) Ramlal is originally from Bharatpur though his area of action as a "pracharak" of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Agarwal, who supported Ms. Raje in getting Dr. Sharma as the State party chief once again, is the party treasurer for the second time.

Another general secretary who has been retained by Mr. Rajnath Singh is Omprakash Mathur, who belongs to the State. Mr. Mathur this time also finds a place in the Central Election Committee. The Raje supporters here consider the retention of Mr. Mathur as well as the elevation of Mr. Agarwal and Ms. Maheshwari as the group's victory.

At the same time, the induction of Mr. Tiwari and Mr. Kataria in the national executive is also considered as their arrival on the national scene. The other members from the State in the executive are Jaswant Singh, the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Najma Heptullah, Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan, and Jaskaur Meena, former Union Minister. The MP from Barmer, Manavendra Singh, is also a special invitee to the executive.

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