The speculation about the House post has been heightened by P. Chidambaram's entry into the Rajya Sabha. Sonia had initially chosen Azad for the Rajya Sabha role ignoring the seniority of veteran A.K. The deputy Opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sharma, is from the north. Party sources said no decision has been taken so far but the dominant view was that the job of reviving the Congress's fortunes in Uttar Pradesh was a far bigger responsibility than confronting the government in the Rajya Sabha. Although there are many other senior leaders in the Rajya Sabha - Manmohan Singh, Antony, Digvijaya Singh, Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel and Sharma - who could be considered as Azad's replacement, Chidambaram appears the frontrunner.

Source: The Telegraph June 13, 2016 22:18 UTC