Sharad Pawar (File) Sharad Pawar (File) Despite strong opposition from state Congress leaders, NCP president Sharad Pawar continues to eye the Pune Lok Sabha seat for his party. The seat has been a traditional stronghold of the Congress and is also historically significant to the party. But sources said that Pawar, who has been active in talks for stitching anti-BJP fronts at the state level, has decided to hold talks with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in a bid to push the Congress to leave Pune for the NCP in exchange for another seat. Angry Minister State Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is a miffed man. If sources close to him are to be believed, Mungantiwar is displeased that he has been virtually forced to grapple alone with the controversy arising out of the shooting of tigress Avni and that none of his Cabinet colleagues has come out wholeheartedly in his defence. With the Opposition and wildlife conservationists seeking his resignation, Mungantiwar’s political mentor, Nitin Gadkari, has been the sole prominent face in the BJP to openly question his critics. The Older Man Maharashtra’s former chief secretary, J P Dange, has been inducted as a member (special invitee) on the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority. But eyebrows are being raised in the corridors of power over the appointment, especially since the authority is headed by another retired IAS officer, K P Bakshi, who was nine years junior to Dange while in service. Dange belongs to the 1973 batch of civil servants, while Bakshi is from the 1982 batch. Dange, who had previously served as the chairperson of the state’s finance commission, continues to enjoy a government allotted accommodation. Enforcing The Code Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain is known for his cool and composed demeanour. But word is that Jain is miffed with some department heads for their failure to ensure that guidelines laid down regarding timely implementation of the Cabinet’s decisions are followed. His office recently issued a circular making it clear that it was the responsibility of the department secretaries to ensure that the said guidelines are strictly followed. And The Post Goes To… Maharashtra’s former additional chief secretary (Home) Amitabh Rajan has added another feather to his cap. The Reserve Bank of India has just appointed him as the chairman of the RBI Services Board. After retiring from service four year ago, Rajan has been serving as an independent director with the State Trading Corporation of India under the Ministry of Commerce and is also consulted by the Prime Minister-led department of personnel and training for new empanelments to secretary-level positions at the Centre. As far as the RBI post goes, Rajan has already taken charge. Hectic Lobbying Intense lobbying has begun within the bureaucracy for the post of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) chairman. With Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in charge of the shipping ministry, the state bureaucracy is hopeful that the post will be filled from the state’s IAS cadre this time as well. Two middle-rank IAS officials from the state, in particular, are leaving no stone unturned to bag the post, said sources. The department of personnel and training has granted time till mid-January to apply for the vacant post. JNPT’s Deputy Chairman Neeraj Bansal (IRS, 1994 batch) is expected to continue as chairman (in charge) in the interim period. Bansal reportedly also shares a good rapport with Gadkari. For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

Stay updated with all the Mumbai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.