Lucknow, Nov. 9 :     A well-known Thakur leader of Uttar Pradesh who answers to the call of Rajnath Singh has of late been turning a crucial social theory upside down. In the state?s caste equation, Brahmins are supposed to be the wily plotters. Thakurs, on the other hand, are supposed to be the tough guys who manage governments but can never be backroom players. The selection of Ram Prakash Gupta as Uttar Pradesh?s chief minister designate has proved for the third time in three years that in ?Ulta Pradesh?, it is a Thakur who does the plotting. To many, Ram Prakash Gupta is ?Ram Prakash who?. Senior bureaucrats and police officials contacted by The Telegraph were desperate to know what their boss-to-be was all about. ?We know nothing. How old is he? And where do we stand?? an additional director-general of police asked. Rajnath had mooted the idea of pushing Gupta into the hot seat way back in May when the BJP central leadership first thought of removing Kalyan Singh. Gupta, a pracharak of the Jan Sangh and a student of RSS boss Rajju Bhaiya was also the Sangh favourite for the top job. Even Kalyan supporters like home minister L.K. Advani were not averse to him. The irony was that Gupta, who is from Secunderabad in Bulandshahr district, adjoining Kalyan?s hometown Aligarh, was instrumental in bringing the chief minister into mainstream politics. After the Lok Sabha polls, Rajnath worked overtime to get Gupta?s name accepted by one and all, sources said. At the same time, he played a masterstroke. Ten days ago, he called Kalraj Mishra and Lalji Tandon to his residence and told Mishra that he would have his support in his quest for the hot seat. Mishra got senior Brahmin leaders to push his case. Interestingly, the two leaders he went to for help were hardcore opponents of Rajnath ? Assembly Speaker Kesrinath Tripathi and Union minister M.M. Joshi. Joshi, Tripathi and Mishra met BJP president Kushabhau Thakre five days ago, when Thakre told Mishra: ?You are a senior leader. No decision will be taken without your consent.? Mishra took this to mean that the BJP leadership was zeroing in on his name and asked trusted legislator Moti Singh to meet Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. The emissary was told on Diwali day: ?Any decision will be to your liking.? The Mishra camp over overjoyed. But Rajnath had opened separate channels of communication with trusted BJP and RSS leaders. At a meeting with RSS general secretary H.V. Seshadri, Rajnath asked him to push the Sangh line fiercely. Rajnath asserted that Ram Prakash Gupta was a man of integrity, of simple habits ( he lives in a two-room Lucknow apartment given to him as deputy mayor) and above any talk of corruption. However, Gupta?s name was formally discussed as late as this morning at the Delhi durbar to decide Kalyan?s fate. Rajnath said: ?If Ram Prakash Gupta was good enough five months ago, then why not now.? Mishra?s reported links with the underworld and complaints of corruption in his ministry also went against him. This argument worked. At 12.30 pm, Mishra and Lalji Tandon had to give in. A bitterly disappointed Mishra could not believe what was happening. Even after the decision, he told a few journalists: ?The leadership is still thinking about me. I think I am still the consensus choice.? Around 1 pm, Gupta received a call from Vajpayee, asking him to rush to Delhi immediately. Before leaving he told The Telegraph: ?The main reason for the BJP?s state now is the growth of factionalism. That must end and the party must put up a united front. All BJP workers are loyal to the RSS and the Sangh and I believe that the loyalty will continue to be evident.? On his future relationship with Kalyan, Gupta said: ?I expect to get his support.? To say that Gupta and Rajnath have a close personal relationship is an understatement. With Rajnath as state president and a grateful Gupta as chief minister, the power focus will shift on the Thakur leader. So no prizes for guessing whose smile will be biggest when Gupta takes oath expectedly on Thursday. Rajnath, who saved Kalyan twice ? when Mayavati pulled out in 1997 and when the Lokta-ntrik Congress tried to topple hi-m in 1998 ? has proved to be Ka-lyan?s or, for that matter, even the Brahmin lobby?s nemesis.