India's BJP Says Gehlot Escaped Embarrassment by Withdrawing From Congress Race

Elections for the Congress Party president will take place on October 17. The poll will pick Rahul Gandhi's successor, who resigned from the post in 2019 after his outfit lost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since, his mother Sonia has been interim boss.

India's ruling BJP took a swipe at the Congress Party after Rajasthan state chief Ashok Gehlot ended the suspense over his candidature in Congress Party’s elections, announcing his decision not to contest the high-profile position on Thursday.

"Ashok Gehlot is a consummate politician: retained his CMship; saved himself from the embarrassment of being a remote controlled Congress President; checkmated Sachin Pilot, again; keeps the option of breaking the Congress in Rajasthan and contesting 2023; shred the aura of invincibility around Sonia Gandhi," the BJP's Amit Malviya said on Twitter.

The BJP's criticism of Congress came after Gehlot announced his decision not to run following meeting party boss Sonia Gandhi in Delhi.

Gehlot was considered the overwhelming favorite to take over as the next Congress chief due to his proximity with the Gandhis, but his chances took a beating in the aftermath of the crisis in his home state of Rajasthan.

The situation in Rajasthan turned volatile after nearly 90 lawmakers loyal to Gehlot threatened to resign against the central leadership's alleged decision to name his bitter rival Sachin Pilot as the new state chief.

With Gehlot out of the race, the battle reportedly will now be fought between parliamentarians Shashi Tharoor and Digvijaya Singh of Kerala and Madhya Pradesh states, respectively.

While Tharoor declared his decision to participate in the polls last week, Singh confirmed that he would also be in the fray on Thursday.