The possibility of Pranab Mukherjee as the next President of India appears to have energised the next rung in government into positioning themselves for a potential rejig that may be prompted by the finance minister's exit.
On paper, there are many contenders -- among them, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and former RBI governor C Rangarajan. But the latter two are seen as "outsiders' not quite acceptable to the party. There is also talk that the Prime Minister could keep the portfolio to signal a renewed thrust to economic policy.