Kerala Congress Unites Tharoor & Chennithala Ahead of Polls
Kerala Congress Unites Tharoor & Chennithala Ahead of Polls
Congress taps Shashi Tharoor and Ramesh Chennithala to helm Kerala's election drive, signaling a united front as the state gears up for tight polls.
In a bid to show a united front ahead of the upcoming Kerala polls, the Congress appointed senior leader Ramesh Chennithala as the chairman and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor as co-chair of the party's election campaign committee in the state. The move aims to dispel rumours of factional rifts and to appeal to urban youth voters who are pivotal in shaping the contest against the LDF and a rising BJP.
Chennithala, 69, brings decades of party experience as KPCC chief, former MLA and Leader of Opposition, and has close ties with community outfits like the NSS. Tharoor, a CWC member and former Union minister, has recently indicated a thaw with the party after a series of talks with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, and his Lok Sabha budget criticisms signal a more assertive role.
The lineup is seen as a strategic attempt to consolidate support across urban and youth segments and to reinforce the prospect of a change in government, with UDF leaders like VD Satheesan also in the frame for the chief minister's post if the alliance wins. The electoral battle in Kerala pits the United Democratic Front against the Left Democratic Front led by Pinarayi Vijayan, with the BJP seeking to widen space in the southern state.
As the campaigns kick off, party strategists hope the Tharoor-Chennithala duo will mobilize cadres, calm internal differences, and project a credible alternative to the incumbent government. The coming weeks will test how the message translates into votes in key urban pockets and rural belts alike.
