Tariff commission chairman Vijay Kelkar is the new finance secretary and Javed Choudhury, food & edible oils secretary, has been appointed as the new revenue secretary. While Kelkar, like his predecesor, is from non-IAS service, Choudhary, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer, earlier functioned as the establishment officer of the government of India, giving him a full grip of the bureaucracy. This is believed to have given him an edge, according to sources.

Ahluwalia, who survived as finance secretary for more than seven years under three different political regimes, has been shifted to Planning Commission as member. The high-profile NK Singh, who was said to be leading the AIADMK supremo's hit list, will join the prime minister's office. He replaces TKA Nair who goes to Public EnterprisesSelection Board (PESB) as member.

These crucial changes form part of a massive bureaucratic reshuffle involving as many as 17 secretaries. Significantly, the reshuffle came minutes after defence minister George Fernandes had "fruitful" talks with Jayalalitha in Chennai.

Prabir Sengupta, petroleum secretary, has been made secretary in the department of defence production. He has been replaced by TS Vijayaraghavan, defence production secretary.

Coal secretary S Narayanan has been made secretary in the department of industrial development and public enterprises. Narayanan had emerged a hot favourite of Jayalalitha, coming as he does from the Tamil Nadu cadre. His placement in the key industry ministry portfolio is expected to give additional leverage to Jayalaltha in terms of industrial policy decisions.

Narayanan has been replaced by SS Boparai, secretary in the department of non-conventional energy sources.

DS Solanki, chairman, central excise and customs, goes as director general, Central EconomicIntelligence Bureau. SP Mohile will be the new chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs.

Ashok Parthasarthy, secretary, small-scale industry, goes as secretary scheduled castes/scheduled tribes commission.

PS Bhatnagar, secretary, SC/ST commission, goes as secretary, food processing, while CT Benjamin, secretary in the Minorities Commission has been shifted in the same capacity to the small-scale industry department.

Leena Chakravarty goes on promotion as secretary, Minorities Commission.

Other changes effected are: RP Sinha, chairman of the Inland Water Authority, who takes over as sugar secretary while Dipanker Basu has been made the chairman of the Inland Water Authority.

Kamalnathan, secretary industrial development, goes as secretary in the department of non-conventional energy sources.

TAK Nair, currently secretary to the prime minister, had already retired from active service. His placement in the PESB as member was known to all bureucrats quite sometime ago.

The sudden rash oftransfers has given a new twist to the ongoing drama over the Vajpayee government's survival. It hints at the possibility of a compromise between the feuding partners which may give the BJP a breather. The irony of the situation is that a reshuffle in the bureaucracy was on the cards anyway. BJP circles have been predicting the transfers of former enforcement director Bezboruah and Singh for several weeks.