PRITHVIRAJ CHAVAN MINISTER OF STATE, PMO

57, The Rajya Sabha MP and first-time minister has taken over Vijay Goel's old room, but perhaps not his style of functioning. USP: Will be the interface between the PM and his allies. Has a good rapport with both Sonia and the Left.

Here's a quickie. How do you find your way to the prime minister's office? The answer: Take the 10 Janpath detour. It is but a take on an old joke that did the rounds during A.B. Vajpayee's tenure-that the only way to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was via the prime minister's dining table. While Vajpayee's PMO was full of his loyalists most of the officials walking into South Block today trace their patronage to Sonia Gandhi's coffee table rather than Manmohan Singh's dining table. Then again, this is a route taken by the prime minister himself.

That the PMO will play second fiddle to the Congress president's office (CPO) is a given fact. "The CPO will handle the politics of coalition government while the PMO will govern," says a PMO official.

The PMO often mirrors the style of its chief occupant. Indira Gandhi presided over an assertive set-up; Rajiv Gandhi's PMO reflected his corporate style while Vajpayee preferred close friends. In Manmohan's team the buzzword is economics rather than the nitty-gritty of politics, somewhat like the man himself. Under him, the PMO has been depoliticised to a policy think tank. Hence the absence of network netas and the emphasis on technocrats. T.K.A. Nair, the new principal secretary handpicked by Manmohan, shares his boss' interest in the economy-and Gurmukhi.

J.N. DIXIT NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

70, Former high commissioner to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, now sits at the MoS level in former secretary N.K. Singh's office USP: Media savvy, has 10 Janpath's blessings. Even the NDA government consulted him on defence matters.

The others are part of the Sonia brigade. The powerful Joint Secretary Pulak Chaterji has already proved his spurs as the private secretary to Sonia when she was leader of the Opposition. Others, like National Security Adviser J.N. Dixit, Special Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Minister of State in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan share good equations with Sonia.

The only political appointee other than Manmohan is Chavan. He will be the interface between the prime minister and his allies. In the previous government, his role was first essayed by the high flying Pramod Mahajan who was political adviser to the PMO in 1998 and later by Vijay Goel. Earlier ministers of state too had been power players, like Bhuvanesh Chaturvedi in the Narasimha Rao era and Kamal Morarka during Chandra Shekhar's tenure. And though not a minister, R.K. Dhawan as pa to Mrs Gandhi, paved the way for the role of a hatchet man in the PMO. But this is where the self-effacing Chavan shows a marked shift from his predecessors.

T.K.A. NAIR PRINCIPAL SECRETARY

64, Second stint in the PMO after 1997-98. Has moved into Brajesh Mishra's chamber and was Manmohan's first PMO appointee. USP: Manmohan's man in the PMO shares his concern in development economics rather than realpolitik.

If there is any flamboyance in the new PMO, it is in Dixit. The former diplomat was pulled out of retirement and made national security adviser. The very nature of his job ensures that he will get to handle the External Affairs Ministry, defence and the Cabinet Secretariat. In handling internal security, Dixit will work in tandem with Narayanan, former director of the IB. Judging by the body language, the Dixit-Narayanan team may just avoid a turf war. "I don't perceive a clash of interests," says Narayanan. "Mani (Dixit) would do the glamorous part of the job." Narayanan will, as per his request, function only in an advisory capacity.

Though South Block is a no-smoking zone, Manmohan has two pipe-smoking bureaucrats on his staff: Dixit and Chaterji, who despite their contrasting styles of functioning enjoy their tobacco the old fashioned way. While Dixit shares Mishra's love for the limelight, Chaterji is expected to don predecessor Ashok Saikia's image of the faceless bureaucrat. As is his style, Chaterji has opted for a corner room on the ground floor instead of a chamber on the first floor, where the prime minister and his principal secretary have their rooms. Then again, he also knows that those are not the doors he will have to knock very often.

M.K. NARAYANAN SPECIAL ADVISER 70, former director, IB. Handles internal security portfolio in the MoS rank in advisory capacity. Occupies Ashok Saikia's old room. USP: A 10 Janpath pointsman. Has been adviser on national security issues to four prime ministers, including Rajiv.

SANJAYA BARU MEDIA ADVISER 50, Former editor, Financial Express, also doubles as speechwriter. His appointment underlines the economic thrust of the PMO.

PULAK CHATERJI JOINT SECRETARY 53, Expect this low-profile Sonia loyalist to deal directly with 10 Janpath rather than 7 Race Course Road.