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Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Close on the heels of total revamping of the police set-up in Lucknow, including the replacement of the state police chief, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Sunday effected a drastic administrative shake-up in Lucknow.
Lucknow's district magistrate Navneet Sehgal, who had remained barely two months in office, was given marching orders. Together with him, Mayawati also ordered replacement of each of the four additional district magistrates.
The shake-up has dealt another blow to Bharatiya Janata Party's senior minister Lalji Tandon, who was, so far regarded as the closest of the BJP leaders to Mayawati .
So far everyone was under the impression that since Lucknow also happened to be Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's political constituency, his man friday Tandon was given the discretion to decide the nominees to all key positions.
Tandon was also largely instrumental in pushing the deal between the BJP and the Bahujan Samaj Party. Mayawati has also been tying raakhi on Tandon, who always described her as his 'younger sister'.
However, by carrying out a complete revamp of the entirre police and civil administrative set-up in Lucknow, Mayawati had sent the message loud and clear that none but she called the shots.
But the Uttar Pradesh chief minister also made sure that she did not ruffle the prime minister's feathers.
According to sources close to Mayawati, to keep her own equation smooth with Vajpayee, she made it a point to take Vajpayee's consent on this revamp. In the bargain, she also managed to discreetly show Tandon his place.
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