There are also talks about departments being changed, especially those who have got a less significant Ministeries in comparison with their stature. Senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra from UP is a strong contender to this. At present he is the MSME minister. On June 27, Mishra made a presentation to the Prime Minister at his official residence at Panchvati and the Prime Minister has praised him for being so active at this age. Similarly, Uma Bharti’s department may be changed and considering the seniority of Maneka Gandhi, there are whispers about giving her a more important portfolio. Similarly, it is being said that Nitin Gadkari is a strong contender for the Defence Ministry. But a leader who knows Modi closely says that Modi is not a man who will be in a hurry when it comes to changing departments. He is one to give a good chance to the ministers to prove themselves. His tenure as Gujarat chief minister is testimony to that.

Minister of State Nihal Chand, who is facing rape charges, is beside himself with relief at the way Modi has placed his trust in him. When the rape issue caught media headlines, Nihal Chand Meghwal met with the Prime Minister and offered to resign, but it is believed that Modi has asked him to stay on until the end of the investigation. During Gehlot’s rule in Rajasthan, Nihal Chand had got a clean chit so Modi feels that Vasundhara Raje may have something to do with the fact that Nihal Chand’s case is back in news again. When party tickets were being distributed to candidates in Rajasthan, Om Mathur, who is considered to be close to Modi had called up Modi for a ticket for Nihal Chand, one that Vasundhara was not ready to give. Nihal Chand got the ticket after Modi’s intervention. After an unprecedented win, Modi was mulling over the formation of his Cabinet and had asked Vasundhara for four-five names from Rajasthan, who could be considered for the posts of ministers. But sources reveal that Vasundhara gave only one name, that too of her son Dushyant. Modi had made it clear beforehand that no politician’s son or daughter will get a post in the Cabinet this time. So she asked Vasundhara to give different names other than her son Dushyant but she didn’t agree. On the contrary, she allegedly told Modi that he will have to handle the Jats and she won’t do anything. Modi didn’t take kindly to this at all and he immediately called Om Mathur and said, “You had asked for one ticket for a person, where is he? Send him to Delhi immediately.” There was a rush to find Nihal and he was found in Shri Ganganagar and was called to Delhi. Sources told Modi that Vasundhara had called the ADG Law and Order and asked him to bring out a warrant against Nihal Chand. The matter then caught traction and somehow also became a matter of self-respect for Modi. As a result, national investigative agencies are trying to save Nihal Chand and it has started an unannounced war between Modi and Vasundhara.

After getting six of their seven party candidates win the elections, the father-son duo of Ramvilas Paswan and Chirag Paswan are brimming with confidence. While Paswan is busy giving his ministry a new look as the Cabinet minister, Chirag Paswan is busy with making the party stronger. Paswan’s LJP can be considered number one in the fact that it has already started preparations of choosing the likely candidates for the coming Assembly elections in Bihar. On the other hand, the coalition’s biggest party, the BJP, has still not decided how many seats LJP will get. For now, the LJP is concentrating on the seven Assembly constituencies that fall under the Lok Sabha seats. Chirag is refuses to believe that the Dalit sentiments will lean towards JD (U) after Nitish Kumar made Jeetan Majhi, a Dalit, a chief minister. Chirag has thrown a challenge to Nitin saying that if Nitish really has become so fond of Dalits in the state, he should project Jeetan Majhi as the next chief ministerial candidate. A few days ago, JD (U)’s Parliamentary committee had announced Nitish Kumar as the chief ministerial candidate under whose leadership the party will contest the Assembly elections.

When political scenes change colour, everything else changes, too. And the list of those who made hard for the former UPA government is a long one. Alas, there is no achhe din for them yet. Take Madhu Kishwar, Subramaniam Swamy, Ram Jethmalani, Baba Ramdev and so on, for instance. Sources reveal that Swamy met Modi and allegedly told him, “Give me some work; I am dangerous when I am jobless.” Modi somehow didn’t like it and he felt that Swamy was threatening him subversively. Madhu Kishwar also didn’t gain anything by such a forceful opposition of Smriti Irani. She had got the invitation for Modi’s oath-taking with great difficulty and now the PMO has been strictly advised that it should not listen to any application or request by her. Ram Jethmalani is a great believer in writing letters and these letters sometimes get “leaked” to the media, too. But Prime Minister Modi is just not ok with the idea. Modi didn’t like some of the things that Baba Ramdev said and did during the election campaigns. So now seeing Modi’s behaviour towards him, Baba is now in ‘sanyas mode’. There’s no saying when some of these people will have achhe din smile upon them.

After coming out of one political phase, Prakash Javadekar is exploring new avenues for himself. Now he is eyeing the scene in Maharashtra. As a result, Javadekar has suddenly become more active in Maharashtra politics. When he is in Delhi, his office chooses out Marathi journalists for an interaction with the minister. Javadekar meets these journalists and tried hard to tell them that after Munde’s untimely death, Maharashtra has no face to project as the future chief minister. In the last elections, too, the BJP had got two more seats than the Shiv Sena. And if the saffron party emerges as a bigger political party in the coming elections, too, the CM is bound to be from the BJP. Marathi journalists have read between the lines for sure.

Sources reveal that Saharashri Subrata Roy is extremely upset with two UP political leaders – Congress’ Pramod Tiwari and SP’s Naresh Agarwal – because they have not been there for him during such trying times. Especially since Roy has a big role to play in Naresh Agarwal’s place in UP’s politics and making his son a MP in 2009 LS election. Pramod Tiwari has allegedly told Roy that he could do something if he is sent to Delhi. Sources reveal that Roy has a big role to play in Tiwari’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha. But when Roy is facing tough times, he is getting no help from either Agarwal or Tiwariji.

Close confidante to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Archana Dalmia, had strengthened the way to the Rajya Sabha through Telengana Rashtra Samiti’s Chandra Shekhar Rao’s daughter. Archana’s brother-in-law Amitabh Adhaar, who is also a SP’s treasurer, had got assurance from TRS chief for his own Rajya Sabha seat. But they have missed their chances at the last moment.

It might be sunny days for several after the Nizam of Delhi has changed, but for Arun Shourie that has neither been a difference in conditions nor in politics. Sources reveal that after the disappointment of not getting a berth in the Cabinet in Modi government, Shourie has gone back to living in Lavasa city in Pune. After the elections, there was a time when it was thought that Shourie might just become the finance minister. His interviews given to English news channels supported the view. But in the end, it was his views about several veteran party leaders that got in the way, and it is said that Shourie was of the opinion that Sushma Swaraj and Advani have no stature. It is said that for Rajnath, he had a popular dictum, “He is fit for a radio announcer.” He didn’t have a very good opinion of Arun Jaitley either. Thus, when Shourie’s name was considered to become the minister, Advani, Sushma, Rajnath and Jaitley opposed it and Shourie was the real loser.

This is from just a few days ago when the special Parliament session got over. One day when Sonia Gandhi got ready to leave for the Parliament from 10, Janpath, she asked her staff to ask for time from the PM and got into her car and made for the destination. After she reached the Parliament, she realized if the staff members would ask for time, not from Manmohan Singh, but Narendra Modi. After all, a habit of 10 years will take some time to break. That is because until now, she would address Manmohan Singh as PM, and ever since he has shifted from his house in 7, Race Course Road to the 3, Motilal Nehru Marg, she hasn’t gone to visit him even once because she wanted the visit to his house for the first time to be a formal one. So the minute she reached the Parliament, Sonia tried to call up her office but couldn’t get through because there are jammers installed in the Parliament area. So instead of going towards the Parliament gate, she started to move towards the area where there was some mobile connection. When she got through, she hurriedly asked them who they had asked the time from. The answer was, “A request has been made to Narendra Modi’s office.” Sonia had a facepalm moment and asked her office to recall the appointment immediately and ask for time from Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister, Sonia stressed. It was then that the mistake could be redressed. A call was made from 10, Janpath, to the PM House that the request for appointment be cancelled. It was then that Sonia managed to get into the Parliament House.

Defeat writes whole new political chapter. With mere 44 seats in the Parliament, the Congress is finding it tough to control its satraps. Those discontent with the party are showing signs of revolt; for instance, Maharashtra’s Narayan Rane had hoped that he will be made the CM instead of Chavan. But after the Congress high command trashed his wishes, he seems to be showing signs of discontent and his exercises to desert the party have only increased. There is major discontent with the party in Assam, too, and there might be a split anytime. Several veteran party leaders in Uttarakhand and Haryana are desperate to join hands with the BJP. Voices of dissonance can also be heard in UP and Bihar. Even Shashi Tharoor, who would leave no stone unturned when it came to criticizing Modi, has also had a change of heart and is among the new fans of Modi. Sources reveal that he has even asked for time to meet Modi, and the Congress people are talking in whispers about it, wondering how Tharoor can be ready to join hands with one who had called his wife (late) Sunanda a Rs 50-crore girlfriend? On the other hand, sources close to the BJP say that Shashi Tharoor has unlimited possibilities with the BJP; the party is ready to make him the face for South India. It doesn’t even matter if he has to relinquish his Lok Sabha seat; the party may include him in the Rajya Sabha and give a fitting reply to the Congress.