Thiruvananthapuram: Shashi Tharoor is fit to be the chief minister of Kerala said Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP K Muraleedharan. "That does not mean other leaders in the party are not qualified," he told Manorama News. It is good that Thiruvananthapuram MP has the backing of all religious leaders, he added.
Muraleedharan said that he wanted to contest for the Assembly, but then opted out of the race. However, he said this was not the right time to initiate a discussion on chief ministership.
"Three and a quarter years are left for Assembly election. Lok Sabha polls come after one and a half years. The results of Lok Sabha and local body elections are crucial for the outcome of the Assembly polls. The current aim of the party is to cross these two barriers. Discussions about who will lead the Congress in Kerala in assembly elections are irrelevant now," he said.
The Congress does not contest elections projecting one as the chief ministerial candidate. The CM is selected after taking the opinions of the MLAs. “That pattern is not expected to change," Muraleedharan said.
If everyone expresses their desire to contest for the Assembly, it will send a wrong message in the Lok Sabha elections, he said. "It will create an impression that we can't win at the general election. It will be like conceding defeat before the fight. That is why I intimated to the party that I would like to contest from my sitting seat. But the High Command has to take that decision," Muraleedharan clarified.
