Shashi Tharoor reaffirms loyalty to Congress, UDF ahead of Kerala polls

Asserting his commitment to Congress, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday (January 31) said that he only desired the victory of the party and the Opposition UDF alliance led by it in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters, Tharoor further stated that he would be campaigning for the victory of his party and the Front.

‘Have only one party’

He made it clear that he has only one party, the Congress, and said that the media should stop asking him that question again and again.

The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram on Friday also said that he was going to be in the Congress and was not going anywhere.

"I will be part of the poll campaign (in Kerala) and will work for the victory of the UDF," he had said.

Also Read: Tharoor denies being pro-BJP, says his views on some issues are pro-India, pro-govt

The development comes after the Congress leadership in Kerala named Tharoor as a star campaigner for the UDF in the upcoming Assembly elections. The move followed Tharoor’s meeting a day earlier with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, after which he remarked that “all is good” and that “we are all on the same page,” indicating an easing of tensions ahead of the polls.

‘Tharoor Congress’ star campaigner in Kerala’

Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, said Tharoor would play a prominent role in the campaign. Praising him as a global citizen and noted writer with strong public connections, Satheesan said Tharoor would be actively involved in the campaign over the next two months, with plans to take him across all 140 Assembly constituencies.

Also Read: 'We're on same page': Tharoor after meeting Rahul, Kharge

Earlier, Tharoor addressed criticism over his views on foreign policy, saying sections of the media had portrayed them as pro-BJP, even though he considered them pro-government or pro-India. “It is not something new, I have always said so,” he said, adding that on international issues, he preferred to speak for the country rather than through a partisan lens.

At the same time, Tharoor underlined the importance of party discipline. “I have always stood with the party in Parliament, and therefore, there is no need to be concerned,” he said.

The backdrop

The developments come against the backdrop of Tharoor skipping a key poll strategy meeting last week amid reports of disquiet over being sidelined, including an incident at a Kochi event where his name was not mentioned from the stage.

Despite past criticism over his comments on India-Pakistan ties, Tharoor has maintained that his views are consistent with the party’s broad approach and reflect bipartisan thinking on foreign policy.

(With agency input)