With her resignation, chances of a solution to the long-drawn crisis in the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party have brightened. It may be mentioned that the rebels, who had mounted a campaign for Singh's removal, were also baying for her blood as they viewed her as an extra-constitutional authority.

Her resignation is crucial, for on it hinges the success of the compromise formula hammered out by party general secretary K N Govindacharya to solve the long-drawn crisis in the party's Uttar Pradesh unit.

The party is keen to do a balancing act in the politically-crucial state. In order to achieve this, the BJP high command is also likely to take action against some prominent rebels.

With a major stumbling block removed, the party leaders are likely to summon UP BJP president Rajnath Singh, state ministers LaljiTandon and Kalraj Mishra, besides the Chief Minister himself, to the Capital to hammer out a deal on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls.

The state is crucial in the BJP's scheme of things, sending as it does 85 MPs to the Lok Sabha. The party had 57 MPs from the state in the 12th Lok Sabha.

Alongside Rai, the party leadership was also hoping to persuade the UP Chief Minister to procure the resignations of Rajendra Tiwari and Ram Prakash Shukla, who too had been appointed chairmen of government bodies.