Ranchi, April 14: As the race for the post of Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) president hots up, Rajmahal MP Thomas Hansda has emerged as the frontrunner.

A formal decision on the new party leader is likely this week after the reshuffling of the AICC.

AICC sources told The Telegraph that the Congress high command has “almost made up its mind” that the top post in Jharkhand would go only to a tribal. However, non-tribal candidates have not lost hope and are still trying to convince the party leadership to consider their candidature “keeping in mind the larger perspective”.

“Hansda is an experienced party leader. After the formation of Jharkhand, he was made JPCC president. Even before bifurcation, he had headed the party’s Chhotanagpur unit. He knows the party workers and most importantly, he has never been involved in controversies. He is widely respected among the party workers,” sources said.

Hansda was the JPCC chief before the late Indra Nath Bhagat took over charge. After Bhagat’s death in December 2001, the Congress high command wanted to retain Hansda. But as the veteran leader had undergone a kidney operation, Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu was made the working president of the state unit.

Other than Hansda and Balmuchu, Bhukhla Bhagat is also reportedly in the race for the top slot.

“Hansda is now physically fit to take the mantle of the JPCC. He is a senior leader of the region. He has a hold over party workers. He won the last Lok Sabha election when there was strong wave in favour of the BJP. All this goes in favour of Hansda,” sources added.