Even though there is time before the present CBI Director A P Singh ends his tenure, the search for his successor has started. And four names are on the forefront in the race – Delhi’s current Police Commissioner Niraj Kumar who is an IPS officer of UT cadre; S C Sinha of Haryana cadre, who is the current director of the INA; Ranjit Sinha of Bihar cadre, who is the director of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police; and V K Gupta of Gujarat cadre, who is the current police commissioner of Surat. The most interesting fact worth sharing is that all these four people have served the CBI at one point or another.

Sources also reveal that about two months ago, Sharad Pawar and Mulayam had a secret meeting with BJP President Nitin Gadkari. Keeping in mind the changing political climate, it was decided that If Mulayam and Pawar together get the Manmohan-led UPA to fall, the BJP and its other coalition parties, that is the NDA, will be ready to lend support to Mulayam and Pawar alternately for the prime minister’s post. So can Pawar’s insistence of being named number two be seen in connection with the above incident?

According to the body language of the Congress and even covert confessions by the prime minister himself indicate as it the slow development and growth and increasing inflation in the country is because of one man – Pranab da. What else does one make of this remark made by P Chidambaram in Kolkata recently, which said, “The reins of Indian economic state has now come into the right hands.”? So should it be believed that the Congress is all set to blame former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the financial anarchy in the country?

Mamata Banerjee is still not showing her cards when it comes to Presidential elections. She has passed a regulation to all her Assembly members and Parliamentarians that they should be in Kolkata three days from the elections. Sources close to Mamata have revealed that Trinamool will support neither Pranab da, nor Sangma. Which means the party may stay absent for Presidential elections.

The sword of farewell looms over S M Krishna. He has got the offer of becoming a governor, but he doesn’t seem to like the idea. So a middle path may be found for him and it is possible that he be made the state president for Karnataka Congress and brought out of the Cabinet. Now the question is that if Krishna leaves the ministry, who will succeed him in foreign ministry? Two big names are jostling for the post – Anand Sharma and Salman Khurshid. Anand Sharma has been eyeing the foreign ministry for a while now because his in-laws happen to stay in South Africa, wife is in London and Sharma ji prefers the foreign climes more than the desi winds. Salman Khurshid has proved himself as law minister and wants a prize for the same. He speaks eloquent English, is a Muslim and dresses and behaves like a Westerner. He is presenting himself as the ideal foreign minister. The all-powerful Congressman Ahmad Patel and his camp has thrown a name in the air and said that Sheila Dikshit may be included in the Central Cabinet this time. But the Congress has not been able to come up with an alternative for her so far. It may not be wise to ask her to vacate the post in such circumstances.

There is no need for the way our investigation agencies are jumping around about Abu Jundal. Because the credit for cornering Abu goes to American agencies. Belonging to Beed district in Maharashtra, Abu Jundal alias Zakiuddin Ansari ran away to his neighbouring Pakistani mentors in 2006. After bringing 26/11 to fruition, Pakistan sent Abu to Bangladesh and on to Saudi Arabi after some time. Saudi Arabia was chosen because as many as 13 lakh people of Indian origin live there. That is why it wasn’t an easy task to trace Abu who blended in perfectly.

Amidst political wheeling-dealing in India, Gadkari-close Angshuman Mishra, who has come forward as a co-star on the main stage of Indian politics, is trying to find new ground for himself. That is why he especially flies down down to India for Gadkari’s son’s Sarang’s wedding. The minute he lands in Mumbai, he meets with Uddhav Thackeray and his wife, sends a peace offer to Arun Jaitley in the form of an email, stays in Karnataka’s Raj Bhavan, and then speaks about Pranab babu to Yeddyurappa. Then he heads for Ahmedabad to attend industrialist Gautam Adani’s 50th birthday celebrations and tries to mend ties with Narendra Modi. That means Mishra is doing all that he can, something Indian politics is used to, too.

There was a time when Arun Narendranath enjoyed a lot of clout in the BJP. A reliable support of the party president, Narendranath would play an important role in choosing party candidates for elections. Gadkari would not shy away from calling him his human computer. But after the BJP fared so badly in the UP elections, it seems Narendranath is looking for a new profile for himself in the party. A few days ago, he was seen on the campus of the famous Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. On the surface, everyone thought he had come about some survey. But later it was realised that he had come for an MBA course. Well, better late than never, we say. After teaching a bad lesson in politics to the BJP, it is time Nath learnt a few lessons of his own.

If you want to meet an Arab royal family or Russian billionaires, go to the Trams in London. You will also spot a Central minister from the Congress frequently. You will also find many relatives of those convicted of the 2G scam here. For instance, Vinod Goenka’s son Jai Goenka, Jai’s cousin brother, Lalit Modi’s son Ruchir and daughter Alia, Ness Wadia and Mohit Burman. The billionaires want to have the maximum membership of this club and usually the affluent transfer the membership to the next generation. In such a scenario, one shouldn’t conjecture otherwise if a Central Cabinet minister from the Congress quota is also hankering of a membership to the club.

A BJP Parliamentarian from Jharkhand, who lobbies for a prominent corporate house, was recently spotted at London’s West Field Mall, where he was shopping with his wife and two sons. According to sources, this shopping spree was supported by Lalit Modi and Vinod Goenka. It is worth mentioning here that it is the same person whose voice had been one of the loudest against the 2G scam in the Lok Sabha.