2 months ago
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Ahead of the Kerala Assembly polls, elder Congress person Shashi Tharoor connected Thursday (March 19, 2026) said helium is not a main ministerial probable arsenic helium is not a campaigner successful the predetermination and believes that ideally the CM should beryllium picked from among the elected MLAs.
In an exclusive interrogation with PTI, Mr. Tharoor said since helium is not a candidate, helium does not person to interest astir 1 peculiar constituency and that his relation successful the State polls is simply a "mixed bag". He added that helium is looking guardant to going "up and down the magnitude and breadth of the State" to campaign.
Mr. Tharoor besides referred to erstwhile Congress main Rahul Gandhi's proposal to UDF leaders precocious successful which helium metaphorically asked them to "dance together", and said it was a "good message" to springiness and present "everyone is dancing together".
Mr. Tharoor besides said that portion helium would beryllium blessed with a majority, a fig betwixt 85-100 seats would beryllium bully for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) successful the 140-member assembly.
Using cricketing analogy, Mr. Tharoor said the UDF is bowling "googlies" peculiarly to the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) due to the fact that "they are connected a sticky wicket and we tin drawback them connected that".
The MP from Thiruvananthapuram besides said that with elections becoming much and much statesmanlike successful nature, helium personally favours projecting a probable CM look up of the polls, but successful Kerala, the Congress has the quality to present results not astir an idiosyncratic look oregon a sanction but astir an agenda, a ngo and the enactment logo.
Asked whether not having a look successful the run could impact the Congress' chances with LDF, which has the definite look of incumbent CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Mr. Tharoor said, "Personally I thin to hold with what you've said successful the consciousness that we could person gone that way but arsenic was pointed retired to maine by the enactment leadership, the Congress has ne'er done that.
"They person chosen to instrumentality the attack that the predetermination is for a enactment and erstwhile the enactment has won, it volition take its leader, which means successful effect, the precocious command, having consulted the elected MLAs, volition take a leader," helium said.
"You and I whitethorn person a antithetic view. In my ain case, I person been watching the improvement of elections successful our state and adjacent though we are a parliamentary strategy connected the look of it, successful practice, each parties are tally presidentially and each elections are conducted successful that way. So for determination to beryllium a concern wherever you don't person a disposable person successful a authorities inevitably tends to wounded you.
"But having said each of that, the Congress has a wide footprint successful the State, it has heavy resonance close crossed Kerala, it has beingness successful each mohalla, each village, each ward and that gives the Congress the quality to present results not astir an idiosyncratic look oregon a sanction but astir an agenda, astir a ngo and astir the enactment logo," Mr. Tharoor said.
To a pointed question arsenic to whether helium is simply a CM probable, Mr. Tharoor said, "No and not [a CM probable] for each sorts of bully reasons, including the information that I americium not a campaigner and I deliberation that ideally the CM should beryllium picked from 1 of the elected MLAs." He said Congress leaders were taken aback by "the precise early" canvass day of April 9, considering that nether the Constitution, the Kerala Assembly lone needs to beryllium connected May 23, which means voting could person been anytime up to May 8.
"It is rather shocking that it is happening connected April 9, particularly since the announcement itself was overmuch aboriginal connected March 15. So basically, the Election Commission has fixed america astir 3 weeks of campaigning. Most parties person not adjacent announced their afloat slate of candidates. The nominations person to travel successful by Monday [March 16, 2026] and suddenly, you are going to person these nominated candidates having to look the electorate connected April 9," Mr. Tharoor said.
He alleged that it seems that, astatine the look of it, this was astir designed to favour the incumbent governments of the CPM successful Kerala, the BJP successful Assam, the section enactment successful Puducherry, which are the 3 states that are voting connected April 9.
Exuding assurance of a UDF victory, Mr. Tharoor said determination is 10 years of anti-incumbency against the LDF government, "its spectacular failures, fiscal crises, corruption scandals, and each sorts of issues" that person turned voters disconnected the contiguous government.
On whether each his issues had been resolved aft his gathering with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and erstwhile enactment main Rahul Gandhi a fewer weeks ago, Mr. Tharoor said, "My issues are fundamentally irrelevant to the State. I americium not a campaigner successful the State election. It was much a question of being portion of the squad effort and I americium precise overmuch portion of the squad effort. In fact, I americium co-chair of the run committee."
Talking astir his relation successful these elections, Mr. Tharoor said, "On the run committee, I person been joining the different members successful regular online meetings adjacent portion I person been attending Parliament. I americium abandoning the past mates of weeks of the Parliament league and I americium travelling to Kerala this weekend, close up to voting day, and I expect to deed each 14 districts.
"But successful the precise constricted clip available, the overmuch much ambitious schemes I had successful caput would person to beryllium truncated, arsenic determination is lone truthful overmuch clip successful a day. But I americium hoping peculiarly to scope retired to youth, professionals, peculiar involvement groups and of people bash arsenic galore wide nationalist events, property conferences and each of that. It is simply a mixed container of a relation but due to the fact that I don't person to interest astir 1 peculiar constituency, I should beryllium up and down the magnitude and breadth of the state," Mr. Tharoor said.
Noting that the caller sojourn of Rahul Gandhi to Kerala was a bully one, Tharoor said the Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha made a memorable code successful Thiruvananthapuram.
"He [Mr. Gandhi] said that 'Kerala dances are precise charismatic and I deliberation each Kerala leaders request to creation together', which was I deliberation was a bully connection to springiness and I deliberation everyone is dancing together," Mr. Tharoor said.
"In each politics, determination are bound to beryllium immoderate radical pursuing circumstantial interests, having circumstantial ego issues. No 1 tin contradict these things beryllium successful politics. And not lone successful our enactment but successful each parties. Having said that, we are determined that this effect has to beryllium antithetic from the past 2 [Assembly polls]," helium said.
