Within days of appointing Congress leader Sachin Pilot as the general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs, replacing Bhupesh Baghel, the party high command has set in motion the process to replace state unit chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.The change of guard is expected over the next two days. Warring is expected to be called to New Delhi shortly.Sources said the issue was discussed by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and Pilot at a recent meeting held via video-conferencing.The decision has been delayed as the party leadership got busy with the nationwide protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, the decision is now expected over the next two days following another scheduled meeting between Pilot and Rahul.An indication in this regard was given on Tuesday to some senior Punjab Congress leaders on the sidelines of a CWC meeting in New Delhi, where the mood regarding a change of guard was reportedly conveyed to the Warring camp.In a recent interview with The Tribune, Pilot had not ruled out the possibility of replacing Warring.Though leaders are tight-lipped, sources said the probable candidates were former minister Vijay Inder Singla, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Bajwa, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, MLA Pargat Singh, MP GS Aujla and MLA Sukhbinder Sarkaria. “The chances of the party leadership choosing an MLA or a former MLA over an MP are higher. Bringing in a new Jat face is not being ruled out,” said a senior leader.In the last rejig on July 1, Warring was retained as the PPCC chief. This resulted in a strong protest by Channi and other senior leaders.The sources said the change of guard was taking place on the basis of a ground report provided by Pilot after his Punjab visit and discussions with several leaders in Delhi.Pilot has been planning a statewide programme in the coming days. The objective is to energise workers ahead of Rahul’s proposed Punjab yatra.AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal recently held a videoconference with district chiefs and the three AICC co-incharges — Suraj Thakur, Ravindra Dalvi and Hina Kaware. During the meeting, he took a feedback on the ground reality following district-wise protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for allegedly subverting the electoral process.A senior leader said on condition of anonymity that after leaders from the Channi and Warring factions joined two consecutive protests, the party high command had initiated the second phase of the rejig of the state unit.Many leaders admit that, in a departure from the approach adopted by the previous Punjab affairs in-charge, Bhupesh Baghel, Pilot has been in regular touch with district chiefs and has been taking a feedback from those coming to meet him.“Valuable points mentioned by party leaders and workers are being noted down by Pilot and his personal staff,” said one of the leaders who met him.