Who will be the Vice Presidential candidate of the BJP-led NDA? This answer has eluded most analysts so far. Indications are that the ambush-technique that was followed in declaring Ram Nath Kovind as an up-from-nowhere Presidential candidate will be followed in this instance as well. It is now known that there were some internal churnings in BJP about the probable presidential candidate. And the name of a former governor of a state had been tossed around. But when Arun Jaitley and party boss Amit Shah reached Modi to discuss the name, he simply said: “Kovind!” And apparently, the same drama is likely to be repeated in the case of nomination of the VP’s name.

Politics is slowly devouring Indian cricket just like a solar eclipse. The open spat between captain Virat Kohli and former coach Anil Kumble had had its beginnings when Virat was captain of the IPL Bengaluru team Royal Challengers and Kumble its coach. Such was the heat from the clash of titans that even the intervention of team owner Vijay Mallya could not douse the flames. It is said that when Kumble was named as Indian team coach, Virat had staunchly objected, but Anurag Thakur and Shirke had put their foot down. So the stage had already been set for the ICC Champion’s Trophy squad, and this is perhaps the biggest factor in India facing a humiliating defeat in the finals? It is said that Virat would never listen to Kumble in the selection of the final eleven, and would get his thing done through a dictum drawn directly from the BCCI bosses. Now that there was again a question of selecting a national coach, Virat proposed the name of his “Dilli-Connection” Virendra Sehwag. But the BCCI felt that the mouth-shooting Shewag is too immature for the role. Then came up the name of Saurav Ganguly. But Virat, Gavaskar and clique got the name scuttled, and thus Ravi Shastri got his new coat.

The National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister Ajit Doval has chosen a retired Foreign Service officer, Jayant Prasad, as the person to lead the diplomatic efforts to mollify China. It is said that Prasad, who held the position of India’s ambassador in Afghanistan, Algeria, Geneva and Nepal, has a happy relationship with the Dragon. At the moment he is director general of a strategic studies think tank in Delhi. His wife is also an IAS officer of 1976 batch. Before joining the foreign service the same year, Prasad used to teach History in Delhi’s St Stephen’s College. His father Bimal Prasad is a well-known scholar who has done voluminous research in JNU. He had close relations with former prime minister Chandra Shekhar, who had even appointed Bimal Prasad as Indian ambassador to Nepal.

Patna birds coo that a close aide of Lalu Prasad and a former minister in UPA govt had been asking to get some time with Arun Jaitley. The gentleman had been repeatedly calling Jaitley and reminding him of their good old days in the Rajya Sabha. After a long wait he did manage to meet Jaitley and requested him to get him out recent predicament. But Jaitley promised him nothing. Hopes dashed, the man returned, only to find the Enforcement Directorate officials waiting to greet him at his doorstep. The frustrated gentleman has now decided to extend full cooperation to the ED. So now let’s see how much the sleuths can extract from him.

The Modi government has decided to promote Hindi and other vernacular media more than its much-hated English media. This is apparent from the money being pumped into the Hindi and Vernaculars in the promotional campaign of Modi’s three years of achievements. And this will be the hallmark of Modi’s 2019 poll campaign, to promote the local media more and more. They will use the vernacular to ride into the hearts and ballot boxes of the people.

There has been a shake-up in the PMO, with Narendra Modi’s blue-eyed boy Manoj Sinha being given a ‘yellow card’ of sorts. Apparently, one of Sinha’s friends from his Benares Hindu University days had gone to meet him along with his son. The son reportedly wanted a job in telecom pretender Jio. On hearing his friend’s plea, Sinha took to the phone and directly called Jio boss Mukesh Ambani. But the birds and the bees in the PMO garden sang out and the word about this leaked like a sieve and the PMO was cross! This kind of direct call to an industrialist does not behove a minister, Sinha was told. “This is the third time you have directly called up an industrialist to seek a favour. There is a system how these things are done,” Sinha was chided. Now Sinha is in a fix. Earlier he had been given to understand that in the next ministerial turnaround, he would be made a Cabinet Minister with a plum ministry to boot. So now, is it the boot for Sinha?

Flood waters are gurgling between the riverine state of Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and ‘super-CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’. Sources say that there was to be a major reshuffle of officials across the state. Thus it is that Biswa had met Sonowal with a long list of officials who he wanted to favour with juicy postings. But Sonowal just turned it down. “This is not possible,” Sonowal reportedly said, adding, however, “If you want, you can give me the names of some officers in your Parliamentary constituency.” Biswa left in a huff without saying anything. But the theatricals returned to the proscenium when two days later, the CM received a fax message from party supremo with a list of ‘to do’ names. Interestingly, the names in the list were almost a photocopy of the list Biswa had given Sonowal. A harried Sonowal rushed to Delhi, met the PM, circumambulated the Shah of BJP. But to no avail. The Boss tutored him, saying that he had little experience in administration. Biswa had the base, The Shah argued, and you are just the face, and ‘this combine is what we are pegging for the 2019 polls’. Sonowal parried that Biswa has no base at all in the crucial Upper Assam voting belt. But his pleas fell on deaf ears!

A Union minister representing the downtrodden people of a backward state called up Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar and said that his brother-in-law and nephew would like to meet him. Parrikar granted time to the duo. When they met him, the ‘no-nonsense’ Parrikar came to the point straight: “Yes, tell me, what is that you want?” The two supplicants said in a single voice that they would appreciate if some land is allotted to them for building a bungalow in one of Goa’s prize beaches. It is heard that Parrikar lost his shirt and simply threw the two of them out of his chamber. Not just that, he called up the downtrodden’s minister and said: “Who do you think I am, the CM or some petty property dealer to go scout for your relative’s land? The party president is coming to Goa soon and I shall take this up with him!” The minister immediately sensed the smoke alarm and tried to douse the fire: “These two, you see, had never even told me why they wanted to meet you. Let them come to Delhi and I will dress them down, but for god’s sake, please say nothing to the president.” Panjim sources say that the rough sea was boiled over, and Parrikar indeed said not a word of this to The Shah when the latter visited the tourism haven.

Babulal Marandi, former state chief minister of and currently president of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, is nowadays in ‘direct touch’ with BJP’s The Shah, ever since a Kolkata-based industrialist with large interests in the state got them introduced. So, Marandi sought time to meet That Shah, and he was duly granted an appointment. So he took a flight to Delhi, only to be told at the last moment that the boss would not be able to meet him. But The Shah had left word behind, though, that just in case, just in case Marandi considers merging his already enfeebled party in Jharkhand with the BJP, he could snooze over the dreams of a Rajya Sabha seat. In fact, BJP could, the boss suggested, let his party contest the 2019 polls under the Lotus, and if he won he could even be made a minister at the Centre, you never know. But those who know Babu Lal from up close say that he is bargaining for the Rajya Sabha and ministerial berths all at once and not wait till he romps home in 2019. You never know. And this is what has left the top BJP mandarins is a limbo for a while.

The sudden elevation of a ‘stranger’, Ramnath Kovind, has confounded the co-founder of the top IT company of the country. Infosys’ Narayan Murthy had been almost certain that he would be given the official slot for Raisin Hills. If top sources in the corridors of power are to be believed, even PM Narendra Modi had assured Murthy that his place was pucca, and now suddenly this Kovind man comes from nowhere to dash his dreams of a prosperous retirement. Infosys birds sing that it is after such a major assurance from Modi that Murthy had started cutting down his involvement in the company even further. Though media reports suggested that his devolution from the company was a result of his spat with CEO Vishal Sikka, but internal sources reveal that Murthy and his co-founders selling off their promoters’ shares was because he was getting ready to walk into the Presidential palace. But then, at the very last moment, the Sangh wiped the slate clean of such big names as Murthy, Ratan Tata and Big B, to usher in a grassroots name such as Kovind’s.