From dissent to frontline: Shashi Tharoor gets Congress's key Kerala election role

After months of turbulent ties with the party and a recent reconciliation, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has been entrusted with a key role to lead the party to victory in Kerala in the upcoming assembly elections. He has been appointed co-chairman of the Congress campaign committee, a move widely seen as an attempt to capitalise on his national stature and appeal among urban and young voters in the state.

The decision, announced by the party high command, comes at a crucial juncture as the Congress steps up preparations to take on the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the BJP in a bid to return to power and end a decade-long stint in the Opposition.

Tharoor’s appointment assumes added significance as it comes days after his meeting with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi to address his grievances. Following the meeting, he had said that “all is good” and that “we are all on the same page”.

Since the thaw, Tharoor has been vocal in defending the Congress and recently initiated the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha.

For several months prior to the reconciliation, he had been at odds with the party, making remarks that were perceived as diverging from the Congress line, including repeated praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Tharoor had also expressed discontent over what he described as attempts by some leaders to sideline him in Kerala, and more recently, over the treatment meted out to him at an event in Kochi.

However, following the rapprochement, he asserted, “I am in the Congress and I am not going anywhere. I will be part of the Kerala campaign and work for the UDF’s victory. I will be in the forefront, leading the Congress in the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.”

Party leaders in Kerala now believe that the four-time Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram shall be actively deployed in the state’s campaign, with a prominent role in outreach and messaging.

As co-chair of the campaign committee, led by senior leader Ramesh Chennithala, Tharoor will share responsibility for shaping campaign strategy, coordinating outreach programmes, and crafting the party’s messaging ahead of the high-stakes polls.

The Kerala elections -- expected before May -- are critical for the Congress as it seeks to unseat the Left after 10 years in opposition. The party is leaving little to chance in its efforts to regain power in the southern state.

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