Shashi Tharoor vs Digvijaya Singh vs Ashok Gehlot in Congress presidential race?

The entry of non-Gandhis into the Congress's election fray has heated up the contest.

It is an interesting race, so far, to grab the top Congress post as the party gears up for its first presidential polls in 22 years. Even as many party units and workers have voiced their demand to make Rahul Gandhi the top boss, the entry of non-Gandhis into the election fray has heated up the contest.

The first to put their hat in the ring was Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. The next entry was that of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who is a veteran politician and a well-known Gandhi family loyalist. But an unforeseen rebellion by his loyalists has added another Gandhi-loyalist to the mix - Digvijaya Singh.

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister, who is scheduled to reach Delhi tonight, will file his nomination in the next two days, sources said.

Sources familiar with the developments believe that Singh’s candidature was fuelled by the crisis in the desert state. It could also be a ‘pressure’ tactic meant to tell Gehlot to leave his fight with Sachin Pilot behind and concentrate on the election at hand.

According to some, Digvijaya Singh has been propped up to send a message about the internal democracy within the party - that anyone can fight an election and win. Singh reportedly will not campaign for this contest but continue to work for the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

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Following the rebellion by his loyalists, the Congress's top leadership seemed miffed with Ashok Gehlot. According to some reports, the Gandhis wanted him to run for Congress president and hand over the chief ministership to Sachin Pilot. But the top brass was irked by Sunday’s events and reportedly wanted Gehlot out of the race.