The apple of Rahul Gandhi’s eye and the newly-appointed strategist of the party Prashant Kishore (PK) approached Rahul Gandhi with a mega-plan. The budget for this is said to be about Rs 72 crore; Rahul told him the budged was too high and that he should bring it down. Sources say the reviewed budget was of about Rs 32 crore. Rahul told Kishore, his dear one, that the Congress was struggling with a paucity of funds at present – no industrial houses are coming forward to help, and thus the budget for the plan should be cut down to Rs 8-10 crore. It is said PK played the biggest move of his career, and told Rahul he didn’t want money from the Congress and that he would arrange for the money himself. PK met Nitish and told him that if he wanted to emerge as the prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 elections, the Congress will play a big part in it and that he will speak directly to Rahul about lending him support. The clever Nitish Kumar started to understand what was in PK’s mind. It is said things worked out and PK also got money. The only thing – poor Nitish will have to wait for his chance until 2019.

Varun Gandhi also fell ill with chikungunya after his UP tour. When he was recuperating at his residence in Jor Bagh, a prominent BJP member called him up and wanted to know why he was not going to Kozhikode for the party’s National Council Meeting. Varun clarified it was because he was suffering from Chikungunya. This politician with a Sangh background then expressed surprise and remarked, “But you are pure vegetarian. Chikungunya happens to those who consume chicken.” Varun tried explaining to him that that was not the case, but the leader just won’t agree to it. What mosquito of ignorance has bitten the Sangh?

A different kind of polarization might be seen among the voters in Punjab this time. Recently, the election commission has removed the names of 24 lakh such voters who were not active for one reason or another. Sources say most of these voters are now settled abroad, and most of these votes have been falling in the bag of the ruling party. About 18 lakh new young voters have made it to the voters’ list, and most of them are leaning towards AAP. The families of 65 per cent of those who are drug addicts might vote against the ruling Akali Dal. All in all, it can be called an AAP advantage situation.

Amar Singh is back to his old ways, it seems. He is organizing a big party on September 11 for his special friend Subhash Chandra at his Delhi farmhouse. This party is for Chandra becoming a member of the Rajya Sabha. The guest list includes big politicians, businessmen, and self-indulgent journalists of Delhi and UP. To make Amar’s party memorable, several big stars of Bollywood might be seen at the party, dancing and moving to the groove. At the same time, Sufi Singh Rahat Fateh Ali Khan might also be heard singing at the party.

Uttar Pradesh’s young Chief Minister Mulayam Singh is well aware of the election winds in UP. That is why he is playing out every move in a well-thought out way. Sources say Akhilesh has purchased so much power for the state that the people will not have to suffer any shortages for the coming six months. No power cuts this election season, it seems.

A few days ago when Laxman Gilua got lucky and became Jharkhand’s new state president, an excited Parliamentarian from the state invited him for dinner in Delhi and played the perfect host. It was then decided that in the new list of officials of Jharkhand, Mr Parliamentarian’s name will also be included. When Gilua drew a list of party office bearers, chaos took over. Arjun Munda especially expressed his displeasure because only the Parliamentarian’s name was fitted in the list. The matter became so big that Amit Shah had to intervene and he told Laxman Gilua that he should make a list after consulting everyone. The first list seems to hit the wastepaper basket.

A 13-minute sex tape of a prominent woman politician from UP is creating shock waves in the political world. Sources say the video has been made in a hotel by a phone camera because the man’s face is not clear in the clip. Thus, the woman politician claims that she was with her husband in a hotel room, and someone made a video of the both of them together and is now trying to politically blackmail her. Those who know the woman and her husband say the man in the video is not her husband. The main thing that needs to be censored is the intimate conversation between the two.

Speculation is rife that to placate a miffed Anandiben Patel, former chief minister of Gujarat, efforts are on to make her the governor of Karnataka. It is worth noting that three states are set to get governors in the near future.

Om Mathur and Sunil Bansal went to meet UP’s former chief minister and current governor of Rajasthan Kalyan Singh. According to sources, Bansal requested Kalyan that he should try and propagate the BJP through NGOs. Considering the position of the governor, politics needs to be carefully immersed in non-political ways. Kalyan listener carefully to what Bansal had to say, and then told him, “You want to use me, but you don’t even know how. The other thing, Mr Bansal is, that when you had work with me, you came all the way to Jaipur to meet me. And when I called you about my son Raju Bhaia so many times, you didn’t even take my call.” Bansal sahib went to Shah and told him what happened.

Arvind Kejriwal has made it clear to his party that only one member of a family can get to hold office in AAP. Thus, those close to Kejriwal who are trying to ask for a Rajya Sabha seat through Sunita bhabhi (Mrs Kejriwal), have got the message clear. In Siddhu’s case, too, Kejriwal had made it clear that if AAP comes to power in Punjab, his doctor wife might get an important responsibility, and he could be either made deputy CM, or a senior Cabinet minister. Along the lines of the Congress, Kejriwal is also ready to made Siddhu the face of AAP’s prachar committee. He is also ready to have Siddhu contest the coming Lok Sabha elections on AAP ticket. So much so that now when AAP has three Rajya Sabha seats in its quota, Kejriwal is ready to send him and Ashutosh in the Upper House. If that happens, what about the guideline that only one person from a family will get AAP responsibility?