A high profile Dundee councillor is being tipped as a potential candidate in the race to become Scottish Labour deputy leader.
Michael Marra, whose sister Jenny is an MSP, is expected to make a decision in the New Year.
The vacancy arose after former MP Lesley Laird lost her seat at the general election.
The contest is expected to centre on various flashpoints, including the Scottish party’s relationship with UK Labour.
Veteran MSP Jackie Baillie is considering standing, while Holyrood colleague Pauline McNeill’s name has also been mentioned.
Marra, who is on the mainstream soft-left of the party, is a supporter of the autonomy secured by Scottish Labour in recent years.
Leader Richard Leonard has been accused of deferring too much to Labour at Westminster and of returning the Scottish party to the status of a ‘branch office’.
A source said Marra is also in favour of the party becoming more of a broad church which reflects a diverse range of views.
The Lochee councillor has led campaigns against the SNP-run council in Dundee on sport for children in schools and the attainment gap.
The 40-year-old is a former member of the party’s governing Executive.
Scottish Labour lost six of its seven MPs at the general election and came fourth behind the Lib Dems.
Senior party figures are worried Labour will lose a large number of MSPs at the next Holyrood election.
