Lucknownama

Siddiqui’s busy schedule
PWD Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui is a very busy man. He holds five important portfolios. In the BSP,he has the responsibility of handling party affairs in all 89 reserved Assembly constituencies which keeps him on his toes. “If he is in Sultanapur today,he is scheduled to go to Moradabad the next morning,” said a party leader. In addition,he has been tasked to handle the Bhaichara committees which the BSP is setting up across the state. These committees are Mayawati’s tool to implement her Sarvajan formula in the 2012 Assembly elections,said a leader. Obviously,Mayawati places great trust in Siddiqui. But entrusting a heavyweight minister with so much party work also shows a lack of good political managers in the BSP.

Fourth stint in CMO?
IAS officer Shailesh Krishna has finally managed to get a posting in Lucknow. About three months ago,he was unceremoniously removed as principal secretary to the Chief Minister and despatched to Allahabad as member of the Revenue Board for reasons which still remain unclear. Since then,he had been trying to return to the state capital. His wish was fulfilled at time when there is talk of a possible reshuffle of bureaucrats on the “Pancham Tal” that houses the Chief Minister’s Office. Usually officials once removed from the CMO don’t come back under the same regime. But Krishna is not your usual officer. Twice he was removed from the CMO,only to return within months. “Now his department,vocational education,is with the CM and this gives him access to her. Also,he remains a favourite of Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh,” said an officer. Who knows,Shailesh Krishna may get a fourth stint in the CMO.

Powerplay
The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association has decided to hold the UP vs Orissa Ranji Trophy match — to be played from November 10 to 13 — at Dr Akhilesh Das Stadium,which is outside the city. Last year,the UP versus Delhi Ranji Trophy match was held at Dr Akhilesh Das Stadium after the K D Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium — which is in the heart of the city — was found “unsuitable” in an inspection by a BCCI pitch committee member. This time,there was no inspection by the BCCI. Prem Dhar Pathak,UPCA Director,said: “Our curator visited the Das stadium and found it satisfactory. It has better facilities as compared to the ‘Babu’ stadium.” What Pathak did not say was that the UPCA and the Mayawati government are now on good terms and Dr Akhilesh Das,the man after whom the stadium is named,is the BSP general secretary and a Rajya Sabha MP. The ‘Babu’ stadium has fallen on bad days. It is a victim of bad maintenance and neglect by the government. It had last hosted an international match in 1994 and a Ranji match in 2006.