With the Kerala Assembly elections now only a few weeks away, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has voiced his confidence in a United Democratic Front (UDF) victory, despite what he described as a "compressed timeline" for the campaign. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, the Congress veteran admitted that the early polling date of 9 April slightly favours the incumbent Left Democratic Front (LDF), as their established members require less time to re-familiarise themselves with the electorate compared to the fresh faces being fielded by the Congress.
Tharoor argued that the Congress strategy will be two-fold: a sharp critique of the current government’s failures coupled with a "very positive message" designed to appeal to Kerala's younger voters. "I think this is an election we should win," he remarked, noting that while the preparation window is tight, the party's vision for the state's future remains its strongest asset.
The conversation also touched upon the internal debate regarding sitting MPs contesting the state polls. While Tharoor was careful to avoid sparking controversy, he described the interested MPs as "great assets" and signaled his personal support should the party high command give them the green light. This came as the Congress released its list of 55 candidates, featuring heavyweights such as State Committee President Sunny Joseph from Peravoor and Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan from Paravur.
The stakes are particularly high this year as the Bharatiya Janata Party also enters the fray with a high-profile lineup, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Nemom and former Union Minister V Muraleedharan in Kazhakoottam. Following the LDF’s historic consecutive win in 2021 — the first since 1977 — the UDF is under significant pressure to claw back the ground it lost over the last decade. With the Election Commission scheduling the count for 4 May, all three major alliances are now entering a frantic final stretch of campaigning to decide the direction of the state for the next five years.
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