The knives are out in Congress after the party’s dismal showing in Bihar. Senior leaders, already frustrated by a string of electoral setbacks, are now questioning Rahul Gandhi’s leadership in private conversations. The central leadership is catching the blame for the party’s steady decline. Shashi Tharoor has called for a proper post-mortem of the Bihar debacle, pointedly noting that he wasn’t asked to join the campaign. Rahul’s frequent foreign trips have added to the anger. Complaints are piling up over what many believe was a muddled ticket-distribution process lacking clarity and planning. His absence on counting day—he was reportedly in Abu Dhabi—has sparked questions about priorities at the very top. Many in the party expect stormy internal debates, and perhaps a revolt, in the days ahead.
Uttar Pradesh mulling Nitish model
While the NDA’s extraordinary Bihar sweep is widely credited to its cash-transfer schemes for women, Uttar Pradesh is abuzz with talk that the government may adopt a similar playbook. Elections in UP are in 2027, and officials say the government is exploring a large-scale cash transfer programme that could cover nearly 5 crore women. Bihar’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana, under which Nitish Kumar transferred `10,000 to women just before the poll announcement, is being closely studied in Lucknow. Opposition parties insist the scheme tilted Bihar’s electorate towards the NDA.
Spotlight back on Pradhan
The Bihar win has quietly changed the mood inside the BJP, prompting a few leaders to wonder if Dharmendra Pradhan might now be headed for a bigger organisational role. No one is saying it openly, and the party’s day-to-day work hasn’t skipped a beat — Dr K Laxman even went ahead with the standard meetings for the upcoming organisational elections. Yet the timing raised eyebrows. Pradhan reached the headquarters to booming cheers, greeted by workers who joked that someday he might become the party’s real Pradhan. Whether that idea has any basis hardly mattered. The jokes kept flowing, the warmth was unmistakable, and, for a moment, the mood seemed to tilt gently in his favour.
CPWD’s rotation rush
A low hum of urgency travelled through CPWD offices after word spread of a firm December deadline to shift out officials who had overstayed in sensitive posts. More than three hundred officers, well past their mandated tenures, had drawn the Central Vigilance Commission’s glare during a recent review. The rotation policy exists precisely to prevent this build-up — the longer someone stays in a sensitive seat, the higher the risk that cosy interests will take root. The CVC has repeatedly reminded the department about service rotation, but this time the nudge feels sharper. Units have now been instructed to complete all pending movements and file action-taken reports.
Countdown on for Petroleum Secretary
With Petroleum Secretary Pankaj Jain moving to the Eighth Central Pay Commission and his retirement approaching, conversations have turned to succession. Atish Chandra, a 1994-batch Bihar-cadre IAS officer now a Special Secretary in the PMO, is said to be a leading contender. The moment adds its own weight — global energy dynamics are shifting quickly, and major powers are digging in on questions of fossil-fuel access and pricing. The government reportedly wants a senior administrator with a strong grounding in both domestic and international energy markets. Chandra’s experience is seen as aligning neatly with that expectation.
Gap at top of India’s skilling mission
In the skill development ecosystem, a persistent concern is making the rounds: both NCVET and NSDC have been headless for over 6 months. Nothing looks broken on the surface — training flows continue, paperwork moves, and stakeholders keep to their schedules. But the absence of formal leadership at two key bodies that set standards, accredit partners, and shape long-term skilling pathways has begun to feel prolonged. Industry executives admit decisions are getting cleared, just at a slower, more cautious pace. Files hover a little longer, and strategic shifts pause mid-air. For now, the machinery runs, but many quietly hope the leadership vacuum closes soon.