T K A Nair, principal secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), is likely to be appointed the governor of Madhya Pradesh and former chief election commissioner Naveen Chawla may become governor of Rajasthan. The official announcements will be made soon.

Also, an AICC shuffle and changes in the union government are in the offing after the Commonwealth Games end in mid-October. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is serious about finalising the party team, said a senior aide of hers

Madhya Pradesh governor Rameshwar Thakur’s term ended in November last year - he has been on an extension since then, keeping unwell frequently.

The post of Rajasthan governor fell vacant following the death of Prabha Rau in April this year. Punjab governor Shivraj Patil is currently holding additional charge of Rajasthan.

Although no decision has yet been taken on Nair’s successor, it could be any  of the three senior bureaucrats believed to be under consideration: former cabinet secretary and member, Planning Commission, B K Chaturvedi, present cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar (whose term ends in June next year) and 1974 batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Pulok Chatterjee.

Chaturvedi, with years of bureacratic experience, enjoys the reputation of being a man of action in the government circles.

K M Chandrashekhar has the advantage of a smooth move without losing time in transition.

Chatterjee has been secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi while she was leader of the opposition and has served in the PMO prior to his World Bank assignment.

He is due to return from the World Bank where he is executive director till February 2012. So, if he returns to PMO, it will be more than a year ahead of completing his three-year term.