HOW would Vasundhara Raje of Rajasthan have known that the same VP Singh Badnor—of Bhilwara’s Badnor constituency—whom she was openly opposing for a second Rajya Sabha term, will get so lucky? Badnor has been an MLA four times, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member once each; when he lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, he was sent to the Rajya Sabha. His tenure there ended only last month, and party heavyweights such as Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Rajeev Pratap Rudy wanted him to get a second tenure of the Rajya Sabha, but Raje was not in favour. As a parliamentarian, Badnor was also the chairman of a housing committee, and had made several friends in the Opposition too, thanks to his friendly and gentle nature. It is said he has good personal relations with Narendra Modi as well. This Monday, when he is sworn in as the Governor of Punjab, he will also become in-charge of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. For Badnor, the Central government has done away with a 32-year-old rule so that he can become both the Governor of Punjab and the boss of Chandigarh. Though Badnor got the governorship of Punjab, but Raje has been successful in sidelining him from active politics of the State.