Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has dropped out of the race for the US presidency after struggling for months to gain traction amid a sprawling field of Republican candidates.

Although he showed some strength in the early voting state of Iowa, the 44-year-old governor consistently performed poorly in national polls.

He was shut out of the main Republican debates, relegated to secondary stages.

“This is not my time,” Governor Jindal said on Tuesday.

The Oxford-educated son of Indian immigrants added diversity to the Republican field, which includes African-American neurosurgeon Ben Carson and businesswoman Carly Fiorina.

However, Governor Jindal sought to distance himself from his Indian heritage during the campaign.

“We are not Indian-Americans, African-Americans, Irish-Americans, rich Americans, or poor Americans. We are all Americans,” he told supporters when he launched his campaign in June.

Analysis: Anthony Zurcher,

It may be difficult to recall at this point, but there was once a time when Bobby Jindal was a rising star in the Republican firmament – a charismatic policy wonk who could broaden his party’s appeal to minority voters in the age of Obama. Now, however, he’s a political afterthought – gone before all the autumn leaves have fallen.

By the time he announced his White House bid earlier this year, his star had lost much of its lustre. He had suffered reputational damage from political battles in his home state and was competing in a crowded presidential field where many candidates were vying for the same evangelical slice of the conservative electorate.

Mr Jindal is now the third Republican to drop his presidential bid. All three are current or recent governors, which comes as somewhat of a surprise given the value that voters usually place on candidates with executive-level government experience. This has been the year of the political outsider, however, and that trend shows no sign of changing anytime soon.

Unpopular in his home state after a budget shortfall, Governor Jindal had been considered a long-shot for the nomination.

During his campaign, Governor Jindal sought to appeal to evangelical Christian voters, taking hard lines on gay rights and Islamic extremism.

However, he was courting the same slice of the electorate as rival candidates such as Mr Carson, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Governor Jindal joins former Texas Governor Rick Perry and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker who have also suspended their campaigns for president.

Fourteen Republicans remain in the race.

2016 runners and riders

• Early Republican frontrunner is Jeb Bush has struggled of late
• Hillary Clinton will have learnt much from her failed campaign of 2008
• New Jersey Governor Chris Christie could battle Bush for the party’s centre ground
• Texas Senator Ted Cruz is a darling of the Tea Party
• Libertarian Rand Paul has his supporters – and enemies – among Republicans
• Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley seeks to be a back-up plan for Democrats