New Delhi: According to reports, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will not campaign in Gujarat for the upcoming elections in the state.
He was invited by a Congress led student body but he opted out of the party's campaign, after being reportedly excluded from the list of star campaigners.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Gujarat Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel are on the list of 40-star campaigners, according to media reports.
The Congress has also included Kerala leader Ramesh Chennithala, former chief ministers Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Chavan in the campaign.
The party has denied 'sidelining' Tharoor after he lost the Congress presidential election to Mallikarjun Kharge backed by the party's High Command.
Previously, Tharoor was placed in the list of star campaigners for Kerala in 2021.
However, Rahul Gandhi, due to his engagement in Bharat Jodo Yatra, has not yet started campaign in Gujarat.
BJP who is undefeated for 27 years in the state as well as the newly-arrived AAP are the major competitors for Congress in Gujarat.