Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, announced his candidacy for the position of Congress president on Friday and claimed that Rahul Gandhi had made it clear that no member of the Gandhi family would be party's chief. Gehlot made these remarks while he was in Kerala for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In Kerala, Ashok Gahlot met Rahul Gandhi. Gahlot claimed that Rahul had admitted that his family would not be participating in the upcoming Congress as president. He claimed that he asked Rahul to become the new Congress president, but Rahul refused, saying that no one in his family would run for the position. Gahlot said that Rahul has stated clearly that someone other than a member of the Gandhi family will become the next Congress president, contradicting Rahul's claim that he has already made up his mind. The names of Ashok Gahlot, Digvijay Singh, Shashi Tharoor, and others are being circulated for the position of Congress president.
