Lucknownama

Outsider Uma

Former MP chief minister Uma Bharti’s supporters are hurt. Not only has she been excluded from the state election committee,but Surya Pratap Shahi,when explaining her exclusion,said that the committee is for UP. By implication,it means that Uma Bharti is an outsider — something which was talked about but never openly stated in the BJP. Shahi’s statement was reported to Uma Bharti when she was holding a meeting in another part of the party office. Her response,said sources,was that people must know she has a deep association with UP’s Jhansi district. What troubled her camp further was Shahi’s explanation for the exclusion of former national president Rajnath Singh: he is a too senior a leader to be included in the state election committee. Obviously,Uma isn’t senior enough.

All in the family

Congress leaders are busy pushing the names of their relatives for party tickets. Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma’s son Rakesh Verma is a claimant for Dariyabad Assembly seat in Barabanki district. Member of Lok Sabha Jagdambika Pal is promoting his son Abhishek Pal for Basti Sadar seat. Bahraich MP Kamal Kishore wants his wife to be nominated either for Gorakhpur or Bahraich. Similarly,Zafar Ali Naqvi and Harshwardhan,both MPs,are lobbying for their sons. Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari is weighing the options for his daughter Mona Tiwari. State Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi says her son Mayank Joshi is not ready for active politics,but sources say if Rita Joshi can’t contest the Assembly election for any reason,Mayank will definitely contest.

Not king Khan

Although there is no doubt over Azam Khan’s stature as the number 2 in the Samajwadi Party after president Mulayam Singh Yadav,he remains a backbencher inside the state Assembly. Azam Khan’s seat is in the second last row. During the Assembly session,he kept rushing to the front row every time SP MLAs trooped into the well. Azam Khan’s problem is that,inside the Assembly,Leader of Opposition Shivpal Singh Yadav and chief whip Ambika Choudhari get preference over him.

Missed calculations

After removing Mohammad Mustafa as Mission Director of NRHM,the government decided to give additional charge of the post to Himanshu Kumar,an IAS officer of the 1990 batch. Sources said Kumar’s wife Smita Chaudhari,who is Accountant General (Commercial and Receipt) of Uttar Pradesh,is part of the CAG team conducting an audit of NRHM in the state. The government could not have been unaware of this fact. Or maybe,the government chose Kumar precisely for this reason. But Himanshu Kumar is unwilling to take up the new charge. And he has cited multiple reasons: he already holds additional charge of CEO of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and Project Director of UP Health System Strengthening Project,apart from his main responsibility as Director (Administration),Health. Whatever Himanshu Kumar’s reasons,the government’s calculations seem to have gone awry.

Sisterly love

Chief Minister Mayawati used to spend the afternoon of Raksha Bandhan with her family in Delhi. This time,however,she preferred to stay back in Lucknow. She has four brothers and they all had arrived in the state capital the day before. Raksha Bandhan is also one of the rare occasions when BSP cadres who work in the party office get an opportunity to meet their Behenji. “She never disappoints anyone on Rakhi day. If you reach 5,Kalidas Marg on time,she will certainly tie Rakhi to you,” said a partyman.