New Delhi, June 12
A sizeable section of the faction-ridden Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) believes that if the leadership is not changed expeditiously, the party might be left by the wayside in next year’s Assembly elections.

In its enthusiasm to reinvent the Congress in Punjab and provide it an acceptable visage in the eyes of the people at large, this section comprising some sitting and former MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha as well as others believe that Balram Jakhar can prove to be an ideal foil to chief minister and SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal.

Another name being talked about but with considerably lesser assertion as a possible replacement for PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh is that of former Union Minister R.L. Bhatia.

However, these die hard Congressmen from Punjab want the Congress high command to zero in on Mr Jakhar, the senior Congress leader who has dealt with the agriculture portfolio as a Union Minister and also served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. In their opinion Mr Jakhar has the administrative skills besides being conversant with the problems of farmers.

Mr Jakhar can easily be the dark horse because it is widely felt in Punjab Congress circles that he can upset Mr Badal’s calculations of retaining power in Punjab.

The argument in Mr Jakhar’s favour is that he is a Jat and equally acceptable among the Hindus. He hails from Abohar, an area adjoining Mr Badal’s stronghold. And Mr Jakhar’s agricultural background is an added asset.

Sources in the Congress said that Mr Jakhar is not averse to the idea but he is unlikely to take any initiative or throw his hat in the ring vis-a-vis the PPCC without the approval and green signal from party President Sonia Gandhi. Mr Jakhar was not immediately available for comment.

This section of Punjab Congressmen, disillusioned with Capt Amarinder Singh’s style of functioning is desperately trying to catch Mrs Gandhi’s eyes and ears about the apathetic state of affairs in the PPCC.

In the fractious PPCC, sources said that Capt Amarinder Singh has failed to knit the warring groups pulling in different directions. It is also contended by them that while Mr Badal has set a frenetic pace campaigning for the SAD, the PPCC is yet to get its act together or even evolve an effective strategy for the assembly elections which is barely nine months away.