New Delhi, June 8: Congress circles are wondering who will succeed Shivraj Patil in the home ministry if he moves to Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Patil is one of the “top four” — home, defence, finance and external affairs ministers — whose exit would trigger a chain reaction in the government and the party.

If Patil becomes President, sources said, Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi would have to rejig the cabinet. Such an exercise is never easy given the dearth of talent in the Congress and the power struggle within the party.

They added that the Prime Minister might opt for P. Chidambaram for internal security.

Chidambaram was impressive during his stint as minister of state for home under Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. But there is a question mark on whether he would like to shift out of finance.

Besides, Chidambaram was Sonia’s choice for finance and he continues to enjoy her confidence. Assuming that Chidambaram agrees to move out, Manmohan and Sonia will have difficulty finding a suitable replacement.

A proposal doing the rounds is that Manmohan could run finance with the help of three ministers of state. As a signal to its constituency, the UPA regime may consider shifting power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to home.

Shinde, hailing from the weaker section, is perceived to be an able administrator. He, too, was a contender for the President’s post.

From the party’s side, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora is seen as a potential successor to Patil.

Vora — a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, governor and a cabinet minister — has wider acceptability in the Congress.