Maya's latest avatar in the spotlight

Its official. BSP chief Mayawati is all set to take oath on Sunday afternoon at Lucknow's Raj Bhawan.

What is not so clear is just how she plans on ruling Uttar Pradesh "" in her old autocratic style or a new more mellowed approach.

Her aides insist that Mayawati has matured after three stints as the chief minister.

"She will be giving a lot of representation to her new supporters, the Brahmins, in her new Cabinet. Satish Chandra Mishra is tipped to get an important ministry," said an aide.

Others likely to get important portfolios are Naseemuddin Siddique and Babu Bhai Kushwaha, key office bearers in the party. "She will, in all probability, retain home and finance portfolios," he added.

As soon as the electoral landslide obtained by Mayawati became apparent, bureaucrats started making a beeline for her door.

According to senior bureaucrats, Mayawati may retain her old style of functioning, in that her chief ministerial office will have a group of chosen, loyal bureaucrats. She will, in all probability, change the head of police and also the chief secretary.

Her policy interventions have been limited in the past to formulating the SC/ST Prevention of Discrimination Act, which was more inimical to the Thakurs and Other Backward Classes than Brahmins.

Regarding governance, Mayawati is seen as a tough administrator, more intent on honour of Dalits than any economic resurgence. "This time too, we are expecting her to act tough on law and order but there will not be much effort on policy," said an aide.

"Among the bureaucrats, Srikrishna, a Scheduled Caste officer, now in Rajaswa Praishad, and earlier a powerful secretary to Mayawati herself, is tipped to be principal secretary to the chief minister," said an aide.

"Other familiar faces of her regime like Net Ram, Rohit Nandan, who was DG information in her stint, as well as current advisor on civil aviation Shashank Shekhar Singh are also likely to come back," said the aide.

"Naresh Dayal, too, is expected to be awarded a good post in the new dispensation," he added. The chief secretary is likely to be a Brahmin officer.

The director general of police is also likely to be changed and the front-runner for the post is AK Maitra, now DG BSF and close to Mayawati. It is not clear whether she will pursue a political vendetta against Mulayam Singh Yadav. Those in her party who have been with her for long say her instinct this time is not to pursue that agenda.

Mayawati is said to be preparing for the 2009 general elections and will be fine-tuning her Brahmin-Dalit wonder combination. "Her entire concentration is going to be on balancing the two ends of the caste spectrum," said an Opposition leader.

"Anil Ambani and the likes have no stakes in Uttar Pradesh and she will not go after them," said another aide.