LAHORE: Forgetting the scars of defeat in the 2013 general elections, the Pakistan People’s Party has decided to move on and already begun deliberations to bring in new leadership in Punjab.

If the party sources are to be believed, the PPP Punjab will have a new leadership by April.

PPP patron-in-chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has sought recommendations from senior leaders about bringing in new leadership in Punjab, merger of two wings – central and south (Punjab) – and forming a coordination committee in the province.

Since there has been no coordination between the central and south Punjab chapters of the PPP headed by Mian Manzoor Wattoo and Makhdoom Shahabuddin, respectively, the party leadership may again merge them and appoint one president.

There is another proposal to constitute a coordination committee comprising senior leaders like Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Aitzaz Ahsan to develop better working relationship between both the wings.

Bilawal will take the final decision in the light of the recommendations and after consulting his father, Asif Ali Zardari.

Sources said the leadership had decided in principle to bring in new leadership in Punjab after the May 11 ‘stunning defeat’ in the province but the local polls’ plan stopped it from doing so. “As the polls are not in sight, the PPP leadership is ready to go ahead with the replacement,” a source said.

Mr Wattoo had been given the central Punjab command in October 2012 primarily to match the stature of Shahbaz Sharif and give tough time to the PML-N in the general elections but he failed to bring in the desired results. Although he tried to woo the disgruntled party workers, many a diehard PPP activist did not accept him because they did not consider him a ‘jialaya’.

Former ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nazar Gondal, Rana Farooq Saeed, former coordinator to the PPP co-chairman, Navid Chaudhry and former opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz are potential candidates for the central Punjab and provincial presidential slots.

Sources dropped a hint that Bilawal and Zardari would prefer the one having strong liaison with workers, organisational skills and ability to moblise the workers. As the clan factor was of utmost importance in Punjab politics, this also would count at the time of selection, he added.