Jabalpur: Congress leader Digvijay Singh said on Friday that he was not contesting for the post of party leader, putting an end to spefulations about his nomination for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) presidential election.

The senior leader announced his decision to not run for president of the Congress during a press conference in Jabalpur, but said that he would accept any instructions given to him by the party's higher-ups. After Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced his candidacy on Friday, there is a significant build-up to the Congress president election. Rahul Gandhi has stated categorically that "no member of the Gandhi family" will take over as the party's next leader, according to Gehlot.

A rearrangement in the Rajasthan government is also expected as a result of this, as Gehlot will have to quit from his position as chief minister if he maintains the party leadership position, as Rahul Gandhi made explicit on Thursday that there will be a "one person, one post" rule in place. In that case, Sachin Pilot might also have a chance of being promoted in Rajasthan.

Rahul Gandhi called the job of Congress president a "ideological post" that "represents a set of beliefs, a belief system, and a vision of India." With Digvijay Singh's approval, Ashok Gehlot and Shashi Tharoor are now the front-runners for the position, pushing the congress leaders to oppose ends of the spectrum.

Shashi Tharoor was criticised by Congressman Gourav Vallabh on Thursday for considering running for president. Vallabh claimed that Tharoor's sole significant contribution to the party was a letter he wrote to Sonia Gandhi while she was in the hospital.

Speaking on Ashok Gehlot and Shashi Tharoor as potential candidates for the position of party president, Gaurav Vallabh stated that there is no comparison between the two and that his decision is straightforward and obvious in the event that Rahul Gandhi decides not to run for the position.

"My first wish, shared by millions of other workers, is for Rahul Gandhi to lead the Congress and the nation. However, there is no comparison between the two if Rahul Gandhi ji sticks to his resolve to not run for Congress head and one must select between the two names that are being discussed in public "As stated by Vallabh in a string of tweets.
In another tweet, he said, "On the one side, there is Ashok Gehlot who has the experience of being a Union minister, three times chief minister, five times MP, and five times MLA, and who has had 45 years of pristine political life and who has defeated PM Modi-Amit Shah in a direct struggle.

"In contrast, Shashi Tharoor sahib has only made one significant contribution to the party during the past eight years: he addressed letters to Congress President Sonia Gandhi ji while she was in the hospital. This action hurt millions of party members like me. The decision is quite plain and simple," he said.

Notably, G 23 leaders, including Tharoor, wrote to Sonia Gandhi in August 2020 requesting significant party reforms.
Shashi Tharoor met Sonia Gandhi on September 19 at her home in the capital, when he indicated his desire to run for office in order to "strengthen internal democracy" within the party. Gandhi acknowledged the Thiruvananthapuram MP by saying that anyone can run for office. On Wednesday, Tharoor also held a meeting with the party's Madhusudan Mistry, the head of the Central Election Authority.

On September 24 and through September 30, candidates may submit their nominations for the position of party leader. Election day is set for October 17, and voting results will be tallied on October 19.

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