Is Shashi Tharoor in the race for Kerala CM? Congress MP answers

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has dismissed speculation about his chances of becoming Kerala’s next chief minister, saying he is not even in the race as he is not contesting the upcoming assembly elections.In an interview with PTI, the Thiruvananthapuram MP made it clear that the chief minister should ideally be chosen from among elected MLAs. “I am not a chief ministerial probable,” he said, adding that since he is not contesting, he does not have to focus on a single constituency. Instead, his role will involve campaigning “up and down the length and breadth of the state” for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s recent message to party leaders to “dance together”, Tharoor called it a “good message”, saying unity within the alliance was now visible. He also expressed confidence about the UDF’s prospects, suggesting that a tally between 85 and 100 seats in the 140-member Assembly would be a strong outcome.Using a cricketing analogy, Tharoor said the UDF was bowling “googlies” to the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), arguing that the ruling alliance was on a “sticky wicket”. While he acknowledged that modern elections tend to revolve around projecting a chief ministerial face, he backed the Congress’ traditional approach. “The Congress has never done that,” he said, explaining that the leadership prefers to choose a leader after victory, in consultation with MLAs.At the same time, Tharoor admitted that the absence of a clear face could have drawbacks. “You and I may have a different view… for there to be a situation where you don't have a visible leader in a state inevitably tends to hurt you,” he said. However, he argued that the Congress’ organisational strength across Kerala allows it to campaign around “an agenda, around a mission and around the party logo”.Tharoor also downplayed the role of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala, calling it a marginal player. “It is not a triangular contest, for the BJP is a zero-seat party in the assembly,” he said, adding that even a gain of “one or two or three” seats would be seen as a major success for the party.He insisted the real contest remains between the UDF and the LDF led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. While he noted that polling suggests a tight race, he said the BJP is “not even likely to have a big enough footprint to be a kingmaker”.Kerala will vote in a single phase on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4, in a closely watched battle to unseat the incumbent LDF government.