Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was again called to Delhi by the Congress high command to discuss the expansion of the state Cabinet, just hours after he returned from the national capital, according to sources.

Mr Channi has left for the national capital from Chandigarh, they said.

It is the chief minister’s third visit to Delhi in the past a few days. Mr Channi had gone to Delhi on Thursday evening where he discussed the formation of his cabinet with Rahul Gandhi. He had also held discussions with All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Harish Rawat. After the meeting, Mr Channi returned early Friday morning.

Meanwhile, former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar is learnt to have met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. There is now speculation that Mr Jakhar, who narrowly missed out on succeeding Amarinder Singh as chief minister, may be rehabilitated with some post.

Mr Jakhar was the frontrunner for the post of the Congress Legislature Party leader. However, party leaders, including Ambika Soni, suggested that a Sikh should occupy the top post in the state.

The Congress picked Mr Channi, who belongs to the Scheduled Castes community.

The state Cabinet is likely to see some fresh faces, the sources said. The names of Pargat Singh, Raj Kumar Verka, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Surjit Dhiman, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Kuljit Singh Nagra are doing the rounds.

Pargat Singh, considered close to Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu, is at present the state party unit’s general secretary and Mr Gilzian is a working president.

There is a speculation that Amarinder Singh’s staunch loyalists — Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, who is the sports minister, and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, who is the social justice empowerment minister — may be dropped from the cabinet.