Why Shashi Tharoor is skipping Kerala oath event

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will skip the swearing-in ceremony of Kerala chief minister-designate VD Satheesan as he says he will be in the United States to attend events at his alma mater, even as his absence comes amid a history of differences with sections of the Congress leadership.

In a post on X, Tharoor said he would miss the ceremony because he is in Boston to deliver the commencement address at the graduation ceremony of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and to participate in the 50th anniversary reunion of his graduating class.

“I’m sorry to be missing the swearing-in ceremony of my Congress colleague and new CM of Kerala VD Satheesan. I am in Boston this weekend to deliver the Commencement address at the graduation ceremony of my alma mater, the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University — and also to participate in the 50th anniversary reunion of my graduating class,” Tharoor said.

He added that it was “an occasion for celebrating the past in the US even as I look forward to the future in Kerala.”

Tharoor has had a complex relationship with the Congress leadership in recent years, with periodic tensions over his public remarks, his stance on the BJP government and internal party dynamics. As of mid-2026, he has acknowledged differences of opinion with some sections of the leadership.

Earlier this year, Tharoor skipped a meeting called by the Congress high command in Delhi on January 23 to discuss preparations for the Kerala Assembly elections.

He also skipped a high-level Congress meeting at former party president Sonia Gandhi’s residence on January 28, citing prior travel commitments while returning from Dubai ahead of the Budget session of Parliament.

However, Tharoor congratulated Satheesan on being named leader of the Congress Legislature Party and chief minister-designate of Kerala. He described the appointment as a “richly deserved recognition” of Satheesan’s “tenacity, conviction, and years of dedicated service” to the party and the people.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he had campaigned alongside Satheesan during the Kerala Assembly polls and was delighted by his appointment. At the same time, Tharoor stressed that the UDF’s victory was “not one man’s victory” but a mandate for “Team UDF.”

“Every senior leader bears an important role and responsibility in ensuring this government lives up to the expectations of the people of Kerala,” he said.

Tharoor said the strength of the alliance lay in its plurality and added that all constituents should work together to build a Kerala that is “prosperous, just, and forward-looking.”

Tharoor campaigned in 59 constituencies across 12 of Kerala’s 14 districts during the Assembly elections and had expressed confidence in a UDF victory.

The Congress on Thursday named Satheesan as the next chief minister of Kerala after days of suspense over the post. The Congress-led UDF won 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, securing more than a two-thirds majority.

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