Third Eye: Party first, work later, left in the lurch, and WhatsApp admission

Party first, work later: Most ministers had stayed put in New Delhi after taking oath as they were told to stay till the first session of 18th Lok Sabha got over on July 3. They had to wait till the weekend to visit their constituencies. For newly elected Lok Sabha MPs this was the first visit to their seats after taking oath and they were looking forward to the mandatory felicitation from supporters. Hence, there was less activity in some ministries on Monday as some of them had not returned or were working from home.

Left in the lurch: Former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras-led RLJP was not given any Lok Sabha seat by BJP despite being in NDA in Bihar. After initial anger, he extended his support to NDA during Lok Sabha polls. However, Paras received another blow from the building construction department of the Bihar government as it cancelled the allotment of party office in Patna. The office has now been given to LJP (Ram Vilas), the faction headed by Chirag Paswan. RLJP has filed a plea in the Patna High Court.

WhatsApp Admission: A WhatsApp SOS sent by a differently abled IIT aspirant to Andhra Pradesh education minister Nara Lokesh ensured admission for 25 students to the premier institute. Prudhvi found that IIT Madras was unwilling to accept their mark sheets issued by the AP government over a technical deviation. He sent a WhatsApp message to Lokesh who directed officials to amend rules to assist the students override this technical hurdle. An amended government order was issued within days.