LAHORE - The race for the slot of PPP Punjab presidentship is on after the resignation of Rana Aftab, as several party bigwigs are now active to grab the opportunity. The sources in PPP privy to the developments told this correspondent that Naveed Chau-dhry, the coordinator to President Asif Ali Zardari, Chaudhry Manzoor and Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, the minister of state for communication, could be among the expected candidates for the slot, while Rana Farooq Saeed, the federal minister for textile, and Qamar Zaman Kaira, the federal minister for information, were also among the probable contenders. Former secretary general Punjab Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas is also using his channels in the party to grab the slot of provincial president. It is pertinent to mention here that Jehangir Badr, the central secretary general of PPP, would back Aslam Gill as the next provincial president of the party. Meanwhile, Rana Aftab while talking to TheNation on Thursday said he resigned from the office on moral grounds, as he had no justification to remain provincial party chief after losing the by-poll from PP-63 Faisalabad. He said: The politicians speak to the masses from a high pedestal and they should also show grace when they do not live up to the expectations of the people. Rana said he submitted his resignation on Wednesday, which was accepted on Thursday while the secretary general Punjab, Samiullah Khan, was now serving as acting provincial president of the party.