Are bureaucrats in Uttar Pradesh sensing a regime change after the Assembly elections? The buzz in Lucknow’s babudom is not just about vote shares, seats and party performances. Observers there have noted that several high-profile bureaucrats, including chief secretary Anoop Mishra, additional Cabinet secretary Ravindra Singh and R.P. Singh, principal secretary to chief minister Mayawati, have put in requests for Central deputation. Others in the swiftly growing queue include K.F. Bahadur, who, until recently, was principal home secretary.

That the above mentioned worthies have worked closely with Behenji adds considerable ballast to the view that Ms Mayawati, unlike the predictions of pundits in Delhi and elsewhere, may have a tougher time retaining her kursi. After all who knows the shifting patterns of political winds better than my favourite tribesmen?

Coal rush
The selection process of a new chairman for Coal India has generated more than the usual buzz with five IAS officers in serious contention for the top position in the cash-rich public sector undertaking, apart from industry insiders. The five contenders include Nandita Chatterjee, additional secretary, environment ministry; R.K. Kahlon, environment secretary, West Bengal; Sudhir Kumar, former officer on special duty to Lalu Prasad Yadav; Sreemat Pandey, principal secretary to the Rajasthan chief minister; and Narsingh Rao, managing director of Singareni Collieries.

The appointment process follows the now time-honoured tradition of the UPA government to linger over key appointments. Since January last year, Coal India’s director (technical), N.C. Jha, was doubling up as chairman, but since last month, additional secretary in the ministry, Zora Chatterjee, has been in temporary charge of the company.