Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Seat: Shashi Tharoor’s Winning Streak in BJP’s Crosshairs

Former Union Minister and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha candidate Shashi Tharoor faces the challenge of shaking off controversy over his poll affidavit. He reported a taxable income of Rs 680 for FY2021/22, a stark contrast to Rs 17.5 lakh for FY20. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader aims to overcome the state’s unfavorable view of the BJP’s politics. His opponent, Mr. Chandrasekhar, emphasizes “the politics of performance” to gain an edge and kindle recognition among Thiruvananthapuram voters.

Shashi Tharoor exudes confidence with a hat-trick of wins behind him. In 2019, he secured a significant victory by polling over four lakh votes and more than 40% of the vote share. The CPI’s decision to field a candidate, 78-year-old veteran Pannyan Raveendran, against Tharoor raised eyebrows, as the CPI is part of the Congress-led opposition bloc. Tharoor’s rival, Raveendran, is chosen to make a point to voters, embodying stark differences despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum.

The BJP’s ambitions in Kerala are evident in the race for Lok Sabha seats. They hope to make significant gains by capitalizing on their groundwork in recent years and leveraging the fallout of the opposition squabble. The BJP aims to win its first-ever Lok Sabha seat in the state and is determined to score seats in all states, including Kerala and neighboring Tamil Nadu. The Communist Party of India’s (CPI) performance in recent elections indicates a leakage of votes, which the Congress and BJP have capitalized on.

For the BJP, Kerala and Tamil Nadu together offer 59 Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, the BJP secured only one seat from this region, and in 2014, none. Winning seats in these states is crucial for achieving the party’s target of ‘abki baar, 400 paar,’ especially given its reliance on bastions in the Hindi heartland.