The hunt for new Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs in as many as four party-ruled states has entered a decisive phase.Haryana, by all indications, will soon have a new Congress chief in Virendra Singh, replacing Bhupinder Singh Hooda and ending the ongoing Hooda-Bhajan Lal war of attrition in the Jat state, sources said today.In Punjab, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi is at sea over who to hand over the reins to. There are more contenders there for PCC chief than either Sonia or CM Amarinder Singh could have bargained for.Amarinder, in Delhi recently for three days, tried to thrash out the issue with Sonia and other senior leaders. He went home empty handed, leaving the field open for over six aspirants to the plum post.Topping the list, sources said, are three of Amarinder’s men — H.S. Hanspal, now PCC working president, Shamsher Dhullon and Gurmel Singh. Sonia’s dilemma is whether to opt for a Hindu or a Sikh chief. Both communities contribute heavily to the party kitty in Punjab.So there are Hindu names up for the post too, including that of former state chief Virender Kataria and Harbans. If the state leadership fails to reach a consensus, R.L. Bhatia may be pushed into the ring. A former Union Minister, he is an old hand and would be acceptable to many in the state. The only thing going against Bhatia is his age. And going by Congress’ recent move in UP, it is toying with the idea of pushing someone ‘‘young’’ in Punjab.In Gujarat, the hunt for a new PCC chief may not have gained momentum though murmurs of discontent over Amarsingh Choudhary’s are audible.After recently shedding its stand on ‘‘no early elections in Gujarat’’, the Congress is learnt to be studying all available options to take on Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Some leaders believe Choudhary is ‘‘too laidback’’ to cross swords with an aggressive BJP. Shankarsinh Vaghela’s name is doing the rounds .It would however be premature, to expect an early change in Gujarat, said party observers. Gujarat is beset with complex caste equations and so Amarsingh, with a tribal votebank, may not be dispensable.
