Many options before govt to replace Ronen Sen

NEW DELHI: The government is yet to decide on who will be India's ambassador to the US once Ronen Sen, who was crucial to the nuclear deal, returns home after March.
High-level sources in the government said they were still undecided on whether to post a career diplomat, a former diplomat or a "political appointee" to the job.
India's ambassador to Germany, Meera Shankar, is one of the names being mentioned for the position, as are some politicians.Shankar, who is known as one of Rajiv Gandhi's group of bureaucrats, still wields some influence within the ruling structure. Politicians like minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma are also believed to be interested, said sources.
A strong candidate for the Washington job is former foreign secretary Shyam Saran. It is well known that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh strongly favours him, particularly since he has kept him on as special envoy on the nuclear deal after he retired as foreign secretary in 2006.
Even after Sen's return, the nuclear deal will still be in play in Washington, therefore, logically, it makes sense to send Saran.
But logic is not always what determines these high level appointments. Saran was also Singh's candidate for the Commonwealth secretary general's post but Saran was less than keen. Besides, Kamlesh Sharma, who went on to win the election as India's candidate, came strongly supported by Sonia Gandhi.