New Delhi: India is likely to keep the post of Indian ambassador to Washington DC unfilled for a period, with the foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra leading the race for contenders.The post of the Indian envoy is currently vacant as career diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu completed his tenure on January 31, after the end of his one-year extension.There has been no announcement of any new appointment to the post.While there is usually a gap of several months between ambassadors, the announcement usually happens closer to the date of the end of tenure.In 2019, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, then Indian ambassador to the US, was announced as the new foreign secretary in December. He took over as head of the Indian Foreign Service on January 29, 2020, while the announcement of his successor, Sandhu, was made on January 28.Previously, Shringla’s appointment as US ambassador was made public on December 20, 2018, before his predecessor Navtej Sarna retired on December 31.The grapevine has been abuzz for months with potential names of the next Indian ambassador.The front runner, by far, is foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, a 1988 batch Indian foreign service officer. However, his term as foreign secretary only ends on April 30, 2024.India’s inclination to delay the appointment and reserve the position for Kwatra is further supported by the presence of a senior IFS officer as the deputy chief of mission, currently serving as the Chargé d’Affaires, who has been posted as an ambassador earlier. Sripriya Ranganathan, a 1994 IFS batch officer, was the Indian envoy to South Korea for four years from 2018 to 2022.The other name in circulation is of 1989 batch IFS officer, deputy national security advisor, Vikram Misri. However, his name is increasingly more mentioned in terms of the next foreign secretary, which will have to be appointed by the new government.There is also strong speculation about Misri potentially heading to Washington instead of Kwatra, if the latter receives an extension as foreign secretary.India’s relationship with the United States is intricate and deeply intertwined, as both sides ramp up their cooperation in strategic issues. Amidst this, the Indian diplomat must deftly navigate the competitive landscape of Washington, where the finest diplomats from numerous countries vie for attention.Moreover, there’s the challenge of managing relationships with polarised US political institutions, where lawmakers wield significant influence, especially in a crucial election year.Last year, Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had described the United States as India’s “optimal choice” for a partner.The dynamic has also got an unprecedented complex layer after US prosecutors filed charges against an Indian national Nikhil Gupta for attempting to hire a hitman to kill a US-Canadian Sikh lawyer.The indictment also claimed that Gupta was recruited by an unnamed Indian government official, and that the conspiracy was linked to the killing of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada had already accused Indian agents of being potentially behind the killing of Nijjar, which New Delhi had rebuffed strongly.The US had last said that it was awaiting the results of an investigation of a high-level committee set up by India to probe the US allegations.