How Modi emerged the biggest winner in the Cabinet reshuffle

The biggest winner in Tuesday's exercise is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To begin with, he surprised the entire nation late in the evening by delaying allocation of portfolios.

By that time, most newspaper reporters had completed their stories for the evening and were preparing to head out when news came in the form of a tidal wave - Smriti Irani was out of HRD, Arun Jaitley had been relieved of information and broadcasting, M Venkaiah Naidu had moved from parliamentary affairs, Ravi Shankar Prasad... well everyone knows the roll of those shifted or shunted.

Truly this was a climactic last minute series of goals pummelled by Modi in a match that meandered from morning through afternoon.

He had won this round truly and decisively!

Very cunningly, in true Modi style, and quite like an ace card players, he did not allow anyone to comprehend what he held in his hand, He "misled" the nation into believing that the exercise was routine. A day earlier he called a select group of journalists for chai pe charcha and told them that Tuesday's exercise was an "expansion and not a reshuffle".

Since it came from the horse's mouth, everyone believed him and became complacent. Why did Modi mask his ploy? Clearly, because several of decisions were difficult ones to make and he did not wish any pressure to alter his mind.

This was vintage Modi with a penchant for political surprises. Since he stunned the entire world by inviting leaders from SAARC nations to attend his inaugural, Modi did not make any politically dramatic decisions.

Tuesday's office order reshuffling ministries demonstrated the return of the politically brutal Modi. The message is strong: warm and cosy personal relationships cannot provide protection against raising needless controversies and rabble-rousing.

The change of Irani's portfolio is an emphatic signal to every loyalist that proximity is not factored by Modi when it comes to making political assessment. Performance remains the sole factor.

The second important statement that Modi has made through this round of expansion-turned-reshuffle is regarding his elevation of the government-party ties to the level missing in the Vajpayee regime.

When the BJP was in power at the Centre previously, Vajpayee was initially in competition with the party organisation and later retained it a weak structure after securing control.

In contrast, Modi propped up the party organisation and ensured that it is in complete sync with him personally and the government.

Amit Shah's role in the past few days cannot be ignored and he has emerged as a undisputed second-in-command to Modi. Shah has demonstrated himself as perfect foil to Modi and ensured that the party organisation functions on its own steam while remaining fiercely loyal to the prime minister.

The induction process in the ministry has conveyed the signal down the line that the way into government is through the organisation.

The style is typically the Sangh's which pays great emphasis on Sangathan and believes that while ministerial posts are important, the government cannot be alienated from the rank and file. This happened in 2004 with disastrous results for Vajpayee.

Modi gives sufficient leeway and functional independence to Shah but the latter knows who the boss is.

Though, like all relationships, this one too will have elements of contradictions and different perceptions, but when it comes to the final word, it is Modi's.

Forging this equation with the party organisation is one of Modi's major achievements and has been underscored in this reshuffle.

The reshuffle has also seen the consolidation of the Modi-Shah line on breaking free from Shiv Sena. Shah advocated with success that the BJP should go it alone in 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls.

He is of the view that after Bal Thackeray's death, the Sena faces a serious identity crisis and its popularity is on the wane. Consequently, the reshuffle ignored Shiv Sena and inducted first time MP Subhash Bhamre, who was given the charge of the crucial defence ministry.

He is a former Shiv Sena politician and was inducted into the BJP before the 2014 parliamentary elections. After Suresh Prabhu, he is the second former Sena leader who has struck gold after crossing over to the BJP.

This provides a significant section within the Sena with a political alternative. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections are due next year and it is now likely that Shah will press for the BJP to break ties with Shiv Sena and contest in alliance with the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (RPI).

The reshuffle also leaves the RSS completely at ease not just because Irani - who ingratiated herself with the Sangh - made way for Prakash Javadekar, who has been with the RSS and the ABVP since his student days.

Just as Modi integrated the BJP organisational frame within his political edifice, he has also tackled the RSS tactically.

The changes and inductions in his ministerial team will also enable him to be more exacting in his demand that Subramanian Swamy needs to be kept in check.