Bhattal stepped down yesterday owning moral responsibility for the humiliating defeat of the party in Tarn Taran and Sham Chaurasi Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha bye-elections. The race for the presidentship of the PPCC chief had started earlier.

Former MP Jagmeet Singh Brar is another strong contender and he has instructed his associates to reach Delhi to show his strength to party high command. His name has been in the circulation since the last Lok Sabha election. He has been trying to impress upon the senior leaders in Delhi that only he can confront the Akalis. He lost to Sukhbir Singh Badal, son of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in the last Lok Sabha election from Faridkot in a tough fight.

The other names in circulation include Iqbal Singh, GS Galib, formerAll India Youth Congress president Maninderjit Singh Bitta and former Union minister RL Bhatia. Galib is considered close to former chief minister Harcharan Singh Brar.

However, sources here said Amrinder Singh and Jageet Singh Brar had emerged as the main contenders. Amrinder Singh, scion of the former princely family of Patiala, is close to the Gandhi family. He left the Congress protesting against Operation Bluestar in 1984 to join the Akalis. He returned to Congress last year after denial of ticket by the Akali Dal in the Vidhan Sabha elections.

Both these contenders had been active since the last Lok Sabha elections when the demand arose from a section for the resignation of Bhattal holding her responsible for the total rout of the Congress.