When Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister in May, it was surprising that Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the man who defeated Rabri Devi in Lalu Prasad’s pocket borough in Saran, Bihar, did not find a place in his Cabinet.

That Rudy had already served as a Minister in the Vajpayee Government made his exclusion even more curious. Proximity to his fellow Thakur and former BJP President Rajnath Singh was largely believed to have been the reason for Rudy getting ignored in the first round of Cabinet formation.

But if he was disappointed, Rudy hid it well. During the Prime Minister’s grand swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Thakur from Bihar mingled with invitees. Having marked his attendance, Rudy subsequently made himself scarce, not responding to queries from curious scribes. The discretion clearly served him in good stead as he earned BJP President Amit Shah’s trust. Shah involved him in the negotiations with the Shiv Sena before and after the Maharashtra elections and dispatched him to Goa to enforce the succession plan after Manohar Parrikar was asked to resign from the Chief Minister’s post and join the Union Cabinet.

So Rudy is back where he was expected – in the Union Cabinet albeit as a Minister of State with independent charge. A trained pilot and career politician, Rudy’s induction into the Cabinet assumes political significance as elections in his home State Bihar are expected next year.

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