Delhi Confidential: Uttar Pradesh pre-poll buzz; fresh faces in BJP

A MEETING between veteran Congress leader Pramod Tiwari and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has set off speculation among party circles in Lucknow as well as Delhi. Tiwari, who is among the tallest Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh, met Akhilesh at the latter's residence on Wednesday. Tiwari’s MLA daughter Aradhana Mishra was also accompanying him. Sources said the three leaders had a discussion behind closed doors. With seat-sharing negotiations between the SP and the Congress yet to officially start, camps in both parties are keen to know what transpired at the meeting. While it was described as a courtesy meeting by the leaders, insiders suspect there could be more than what meets the eye.

FOLLOWING BJP national president Nitin Nabin’s first meeting with the eight new general secretaries of the party on Thursday, insiders are looking forward to several high-profile organisational appointments over the weekend. Sources said the meeting, held at the party headquarters in the Capital, focused on party affairs in poll-bound states. The interaction is likely to pave the way for the appointment of fresh faces on posts such as state election in-charge as part of a party-wide restructuring, said the sources.