New Delhi, June 3: Assembly elections in Haryana are not due until February next year, but state Congress leaders appear to have taken victory for granted and are already jockeying for chief ministership.

Buoyed by the Congress’ showing in last month’s Lok Sabha polls — it won nine of Haryana’s 10 seats — a trio of leaders are out to convince the party high command about their chief minister credentials. Former chief minister and state Congress chief Bhajan Lal has thrown his hat in the ring, as have working commi-ttee member Chaudhury Birender Singh and legislature party leader Bhupender Singh Hooda.

On Tuesday, Singh, who has acquired a higher profile after being made the Congress’ point man for Uttar Pradesh a few months ago, brought a huge crowd of state Congress functionaries to the AICC headquarters. The workers had ostensibly been mobilised to celebrate the party’s near-sweep in Haryana, but Singh intended to use the occasion to further his claim for the top job in the state.

He got a shot in the arm when senior party leader Salman Khursheed turned to him while addressing the crowd of supporters at the Congress headquarters and said: “Apne armaan poore karne ke liye aap Fatehpur Sikri jaake dhaga baand lijiye (Why don’t you tie a string at Fatehpur Sikri to have your wishes fulfilled).” It is commonly believed that your prayers are answered if you tie a string at Salim Chisti’s tomb in Fatehpur Sikri.

Khursheed’s remark was interpreted as an endorsement of Singh’s chief minister credentials.

Within a few hours, Hooda, who won the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat, was at Khursheed’s door complaining: “How could you ignore my rightful claim to the job?” He was not convinced by the senior leader’s reply that he had not endorsed anybody for the coveted post.

Hooda now wants to erase the impression that Singh is the front-runner for chief ministership. He wants to organise a big rally in his Rohtak pocket borough soon and expects Khursheed and other senior party leaders to address it and thus prop up his candidature.

The competitive posturing by the top state Congress leaders has got the central leadership thinking.

“They (the state leaders) are assuming that they have already won the Assembly elections. They are not even prepared to consider that electoral equations could change if the BJP, which fought the Lok Sabha polls on its own, joins hands with one of the two rivals of the party — the ruling Indian National Lok Dal of chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and the Haryana Vikas Party of former chief minister Bansi Lal,” a senior leader said.

The posturing, which could lead to old rivalries being revived, may lead the high command to take pre-emptive moves. Bhajan Lal could be considered for governorship while Hooda or Singh might be considered for a party post in a revamped AICC, leaving the third Haryana leader as the potential chief ministerial candidate.