Raipur, Jan 15 (IANS) Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has put off a proposed reshuffle of its 13-member cabinet despite some senior leaders seeking new faces to brush up the party's image.

A nine-member powerful core committee of the Chhattisgarh BJP met over the weekend at the party headquarters here and discussed the possibility of replacing some faces, including the home minister.

However, they deferred the issue for the time being as ministers and party leaders would be going on a weeklong trip to rural areas from Tuesday to mobilise support for the party.

"Some ministers have failed to deliver despite being given enough time and the party has to take steps to bolster the government's image and accelerate the pace of development to win elections next year," a party leader told IANS.

According to party sources, tribal leader Ramvichar Netam, who was elevated as home minister in June 2005, has failed to impress as the Maoist violence continued to soar. Around 400 people were killed in Maoist violence in 2006.

Netam has also been held largely responsible for embarrassing the BJP government early his month by staging a surrender show of 79 "Maoists" to claim success in checking the rebels.

But the surrender function, held at the police headquarters in Raipur in which Chief Minister Raman Singh was the chief guest, turned out to be highly controversial after party legislator Mahesh Baghel described those who surrendered as "innocent farmers and BJP cadres of his assembly seat Keshkal".

Police added to the controversy by releasing 19 of the 79, saying they were completely innocent. The government has ordered a high-level probe.