NEW DELHI: The scion of India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, Rahul Gandhi, who is seen as a leading contender to be the country's next prime minister, has suggested he may not marry or have children.

Gandhi, a 42-year-old bachelor, was recently named to the number two post in the ruling Congress party, which is headed by his mother, Sonia Gandhi. His famous surname and youthful image make him the party's main hope for elections due next year, but he has been reluctant to take positions of power and has criticised the dynastic politics to which he owes his ascent.

On Tuesday, Gandhi suggested he may not tie the knot or start a family because doing so could lead him to push his children forward.

“If I get married and have children, I will be status-quoist and will like my children to take my place,” he told party members in New Delhi.

Gandhi's private life is a tightly guarded secret and little appears in the local press, although he said in 2004 he was dating a Spanish woman called Veronique, an architect who grew up in Venezuela.