Intense lobbying and lack of consensus over the appointment of general secretaries delayed the announcement of BJP chief Rajnath Singh’s team for 2014. The team, expected to be announced on Saturday, will now be finalised in the next couple of days. Sources disclosed that there was a lack of consensus over the appointment of Mr Varun Gandhi, Ms Uma Bharti and Mr Prabhat Jha as party general secretaries.

A debate is also raging among senior BJP leaders on whether to retain Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad as the BJP’s chief spokesperson. With him being made deputy leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the saffron mantra of “one man one post” could come in his way. Mr Advani is apparently in favour of Mr Prasad continuing as chief spokesperson though BJP chief Rajnath Singh is against any such post.

Sensing that the BJP was working towards projecting Gujarat chief minister Narenda Modi as its face for the 2014 general elections, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has sent a tacit signal to the UPA

The Hindutva plank is set to be revived at a RSS-backed meeting of the saints to be held at the Mahakumbh on Wednesday. While Hin-dutva is expected to dominate the meet, it is unlikely that the seers will endorse Gujarat chief minister Naren-dra Modi as the BJP’s “best bet” for the par-ty’s prime ministerial candidate. While top BJP and Sangh leaders are expected to be present at the occassion, the VHP, which is orga-nising the meet, has not invited Mr Modi.

A section in the BJP disclosed that despite a huge chunk of functionaries and leaders rooting for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, the RSS was somewhat “reluctant” to make him the BJP’s face for the 2014 polls. The RSS top brass, which has a “tight grip” on the BJP, apprehends that its influence “might wane” with Mr Modi playing a dominant role in saffron politics, sources said.

With Mr Rajnath Singh at the helm of affairs, it’s time for an organisational reshuffle in the BJP. Discussions are now on to get a new team in place.

Efforts are on to sideline senior BJP leader and NDA working chairman L.K. Advani once and for all.

The girl who lit a fire in the hearts of billions was consigned to the flames in the early morning of Sunday, hours after her body was flown home from Singapore.

Completely unfazed by the people’s fury at the “indifference” of the ruling class, particularly the politicians, President Pranab Mukherjee’s son, Mr Abhijit Mukherjee, a Congress MP, questioned the credentials of the women and students agitating over the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi.

As the nation erupted in fury and people took to the streets to vent their anger, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at last addressed the nation Monday, over seven days after the brutal gangrape of a medical student on a bus in New Delhi.