One of the prominent names doing the rounds is of Major Vijai Singh Mankotia (retd), who had joined the BSP and was projected as the party’s chief ministerial candidate, he is also a die-hard adversary of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh. Although Virbhadra is unlikely to agree to his return the central Congress leadership is already considering the possibility.

Mankotia, a former Congress minister and MLA had released an audio CD before the Hamirpur bypolls last year levelling charges of corruption against Virbhadra. Following his suspension from the party soon after, he quit the Congress to join the BSP. However, he failed to make it to the Assembly.

Party insiders told The Indian Express on Sunday that the decks have also been cleared for the entry of former BJP minister Karan Singh in the Congress. Karan, the younger brother of senior BJP leader Maheshwar Singh — who is expected to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Mandi — had left the BJP in November 2007 and had joined the BSP. However, he lost in the Assembly elections from Banjar, a constituency he had represented twice.

PCC president Kaul Singh Thakur said, “Karan Singh has been in touch with the party for quite sometime. He has expressed his desire for unconditional entry to the Congress. We will be happy to have him.”

“My plan is to wind up the BSP in Himachal. One of the reasons for Congress’ defeat in November 2007 Assembly polls was the BSP. It has no base in Himachal. All those Congress leaders, who had left the party would be brought back. I have left the decision on Major Mankotia’s re-entry to the high command, but for others I will soon be signing the letters,” said Thakur. The PCC president, who was in the town after touring 10 out of the 12 districts in past one month, has drawn up a roadmap for the polls. After his weeklong tour of Kinnaur and Lahual Spiti districts, he wants to recast the party executive.

“I have already held a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Now that I have completed touring the tribal areas, I will go back to Delhi and get the PCC executive reconstituted. It’s going to be a mix of youth and experience. Thereafter, we will start working on the Lok Sabha poll strategies and give the BJP a tough time,” he said.

Thakur is reported to have already suggested the name of Virbhadra Singh for the Mandi Parliamentary constituency — at present his wife Pratibha Singh represents the constituency. In fact, Virbhadra is seen as the trump card from Mandi in the absence of a formidable candidate. He represented Mandi till the early eighties and had been a Union minister before he was sent to the state to replace Thakur Ram Lal, the then CM.

Given a choice, Virbhadra is not willing to leave state politics and feels his name was mentioned to deny a ticket to wife Pratibha. The alternative to Virbhadra for Mandi could be party’s grand old man Sukh Ram, a former union minister, who still enjoys a support base in the area.