According to sources, Dhawan is camping in a posh Delhi hotel for the past week and has met senior Congress leaders. He is accompanied by SJP local president Devinder Singh Babla and local Congress leaders. The formal announcement is likely to be made in a few days.

While sources close to Dhawan say that he might join along with his local unit of the party, Congress sources indicate that he may join as the president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee. Later, the sources add, his wife, who is a municipal councillor, may also join the Congress fold.

This assumes significance after the resignation of former Union minister Venod Sharma from the post, following the alleged involvement of his son Manu in the infamous Jessica Lal murder case. Incidentally, none among Pawan Kumar Bansal or Manish Tewari, who are aspiring for the Congress ticket from Chandigarh, are interested in taking over as the president of the party.Dhawan's entry into the Congress fold at the time of Parliamentary elections is also significancant, as he is considered to have a strong hold over the poor colonies and slums.

Meanwhile, the Congress aspirants for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha constituency are hectically lobbying for the Congress ticket and are reportedly camping in Delhi for the past few days.

These include Pawan Kumar Bansal, Venod Sharma, and Manish Tewari, besides Chaman Lal Sharma, who is an income tax lawyer and also the president of Chandigarh Club.