Kottayam: Thiruvananthapuram MP and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday hinted at his intention to contest the next Kerala Assembly elections, which will be held in 2026.
Talking to the media after his meeting with the head of the Orthodox Church, Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews III, who asked Tharoor to shift his political base to the state in order to strengthen the Congress party, the MP said he was here to stay and would very much be active in Kerala politics.
When asked about NSS general secretary G Sukumaran Nair's comment that Tharoor is a 'Tharavaadi Nair', indicating he belongs to an elite class of Nairs, the MP said he had no response.
"You will have to ask those who made the remark. Caste and religion are all private matters. Talent and skill are what count. I can assure you one thing. Caste has no role when it comes to my thoughts and actions," said Tharoor.
Putting the prospects of him becoming the Congress' chief ministerial candidate on the back burner, Tharoor said: "The next Assembly elections are only in 2026. So, I'm not thinking about chief ministership at the moment."
Orthodox Church rallies behind Tharoor
On Monday, Tharoor saw his support growing to yet another section of society as he continued his tour across Kerala. The latest organisation to back Tharoor is the Orthodox Church.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Tharoor, Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews III said: “The Congress in Kerala is on a path of decay. This is evident from the back-to-back losses the party suffered in the Assembly elections in the state.”
Meanwhile, Tharoor said that he would be meeting not only religious leaders but also representatives of all sections of the society. “My work is only a continuation of the task entrusted to me by the party in 2021, which was to prepare the manifesto for the Assembly elections,” he said.
