Wait over, Raje ministers to be sworn in today

JAIPUR: At least 15 legislators will be sworn in as ministers in the Vasundhara Raje government at Raj Bhawan on Friday. While Raje detractor Ghanshyam Tiwari have been kept in the waiting list, her loyalists and those who played a vital role in the BJP's massive victory have been rewarded.
The Raj Bhawan as well as the general administration department (GAD) confirmed the swearing-in ceremony at 1 pm on Friday.
The legislators likely to be sworn in are: Rajendra Singh Rathore (Churu), Gulab Chand Kataria (Udaipur), Arun Chaturvedi (Civil Lines), Kalicharan Saraf (Malviya Nagar), Yunus Khan (Deedwana), Sanwar Lal Jat (Nasirabad), Abhishek Matoria (Nahar), Prabhulal Saini (Anta), Prahlad Gunjal (Kota North), Kiran Maheshwari (Rajsamand), Kalulal Gujjar (Mandal), Nandlal Meena (Pratapgarh), Kailash Meghwal (Shahpura), Jogaram Patel (Luni) and Gajendra Khiwsar (Lohawat).
However, there is no confirmation on the inclusion of Vasudev Devnani (Ajmer).
In the December 17 edition, TOI had confirmed the names of Rajendra Rathore, Kataria, Yunus %Khan, Sanwar Lal Jat, Abhishek %Matoria, Prabhulal Saini, Prahlad Gunjal and Saraf.
The paper had also hinted at inclusion of Chaturvedi. Raje reportedly decided to include Rathore and Kataria for their contribution towards party's unprecedented victory in the assembly polls. Rathore is a known Raje loyalist and stood by her even during her adverse days when she fell apart with the BJP's central leadership. On the other hand, Kataria was the constant companion of Raje during the "Suraj Sankalp Yatra." The two leaders joined hands and travelled the entire length and breadth of the state together.
The interesting inclusion will be of Kota (north) MLA Prahlad Gunjal, who is reportedly being rewarded for defeating Shanti Dhariwal, the second-in-command in the Ashok Gehlot government.
On Thursday evening, Raje personally called and invited the would-be ministers. The much-awaited team is considered to be a balance between caste and regions. And the legislators with RSS background have been accommodated too. The swearing-in function was kept a top secret till evening as senior BJP leaders on Thursday ruled out possibility of it on Friday. Governor Margaret Alva will be out of Jaipur, attending the convocation ceremony of Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur on Saturday.
BJP central leadership emissaries Kaptan Singh Solanki and Saudan Singh are likely to reach Jaipur on Friday. "We are reaching on Friday," Kaptan Singh told TOI. However, he could not specify the exact time.
Sources said that there was a tactical plan to form a small ministry even though the party won a historic 163 seats in the assembly. Party leaders think that a smaller team will keep possibility of dissent at bay before the Lok Sabha polls and legislators will work harder to consolidate their claim for ministerial position. However, managing all factions amid mammoth numbers might prove an uphill task.