But this move has crippled the dissidents since new Gurjar and Meena ministers were included in what could be called a balancing act.
Soon after the Gujarat results were announced, Ms Raje inducted one state and four new cabinet ministers. She also consulted BJP leader Gopinath Munde and in-charge of party affairs in Rajasthan before she took the decision, which is deemed significant due to the inclusion of two Meena and one Gurjar minister.
Rumours
Although rumours of a cabinet reshuffle has been doing the rounds since she came to power in 2003, she perhaps wanted to keep the hopefuls waiting, disappointing the state ministers for denying them more power and work.
But the much awaited move happened at the end of her four years stint in office – after seeing the dissidents’ failure in preventing Modi’s return to power.
Hidden message
The reshuffle announced on Tuesday also contained a message to two dissident ministers – education minister Ghanshyam Tiwari and Narpat Singh Rajvi – who were deprived of their present portfolios.
Ms Raje inducted Nathu Singh Gurjar into her cabinet in view of the ongoing protests by Gurjars against her decision, which was to send the Justice Chopra committee’s report to the Centre without a recommendation letter on allocating ST status to Gurjars. But two Meena ministers lost their seats for opposing the Gurjars’ claim.
Shown the door
Cabinet minister Dr Kirori Lal Meena, who gave his resignation letter to put pressure on the Raje government ahead of the Chopra committee’s report, was bid goodbye after accepting his resignation.
Similarly, Virendra Meena was relieved of his ministry for his pro-community stand on the reservation issue.
But Ms Raje tried a balancing act by inducting Ram Kishore Meena and Nand Lal Meena into her cabinet.
The education portfolio taken away from Ghan Shyam Tiwari was allotted to the newly inducted minister Kali Charan Saraf, indicating Tiwari to fall in line.
The new ministers are not complaining, and seem happy that they will be able to do something miraculous in less than a year’s time.
Records in Rajasthan indicate that those sworn in as ministers in the election year have failed to win.