POINT PERSONS

Himanta Biswa Sarma A former Congressman, Sarma is BJP’s principal strategist in the Northeast. Shah has envisioned a larger role for Sarma in Odisha and West Bengal as well.

The thumb rule in the Modi-Shah order is that a go-to person is designated and empowered to deal with the opposite side. What are their jurisdictions?

Nitin Gadkari: BJP’s point person in Goa, Gadkari executed Shah’s brief to set up a coalition government, led by the party, in Panaji last year after the Assembly election yielded a fractured verdict.

In the absence of CM Manohar Parrikar, who is in the US for medical treatment, Gadkari was called on to restart mining and revive Goa’s economy.

Piyush Goyal: Being BJP’s national treasurer gives him clout. He recently helped swing the ninth Rajya Sabha seat in UP, a bonus, using his contacts in the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. In Karnataka, he’s trying to keep the Lingayat votes intact. He’s also keeping open a channel with the Janata Dal (Secular) through H D Deve Gowda.

BhupenderYadav: A Rajya Sabha MP, who was recommended informally by the Opposition for the post of deputy chairman in the Upper House because of his allparty contacts. Shah didn’t spare him. He is the party in-charge of Bihar and unofficially of all the states that are on the BJP’s radar screen. He is accessible to the party workers.