Shashi Tharoor Attends Key Congress Meet
Reeling from recent electoral setbacks in Delhi, Haryana, and Maharashtra, the Congress in Kerala is gearing up for a fierce political battle ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The party held an intense brainstorming session on Friday, with its top brass charting out strategies to take on “oppressive and communal forces” in the state.
Shashi Tharoor Attends Key Congress Meet
Among the key figures at the meeting was Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, whose recent remarks had set political circles abuzz with speculation about a rift within the party. However, his presence at the high-stakes discussion and subsequent social media posts seemed to quash those rumours.
The Congress’s Kerala unit took to X (formerly Twitter) to send a strong message of unity, stating, “Change is inevitable in Kerala. Congress has built the development paradigm and welfare model of Kerala, and we will do everything possible to bring our UDF to power.”
Shashi Tharoor Attends Key Congress Meet
The three-hour-long meeting focused on the road ahead for the 2026 elections, with a clear warning against personal statements that could harm the party’s interests. This comes after backlash over an article by Tharoor that appeared to praise the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government for its investment-friendly policies.
Adding fuel to the fire, a video clip from a podcast recently surfaced, in which Tharoor was quoted as saying, “If the Congress doesn’t want me, I have other options.” Though he later clarified that his comments were misconstrued, a selfie he posted with Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Britain’s Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds further intensified speculation.
Shashi Tharoor Attends Key Congress Meet
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, however, dismissed any talk of discord, asserting, “There are no differences in the party. We are united in our fight against the failed governance of Kerala’s ruling party. The UDF will return to power in 2026.”
Deepa Dasmunshi, Congress’s Kerala in-charge, also hit out at media reports suggesting disunity. “The leaders have spoken in one voice against both the LDF and BJP. The Congress in Kerala stands united,” she said.
The meeting saw the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, K Sudhakaran, V D Satheesan, and other senior leaders, all reinforcing the party’s commitment to a strong electoral comeback.
Shashi Tharoor Attends Key Congress Meet
Tharoor himself took to X after the meeting, posting, “A good meeting of Kerala Congress leaders today with Congress president Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi ended in a strong affirmation of party unity as we head into the election season.”
With Congress leaders making a show of solidarity, the party is now setting its sights firmly on reclaiming power in Kerala.
Whether this unity will hold in the run-up to the elections, however, remains to be seen.
