THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The world recognises Shashi Tharoor readily as an orator par excellence and a prolific writer with his mastery over English, expressed even through his tweets, often catching the imagination of language lovers across the country and beyond.
Strangely, the affidavits Tharoor, the UDF candidate in Thiruvananthapuram, submitted along with his nomination papers contain some silly typos which may embarrass him if he were to read it.
Tharoor submitted three sets of nominations, each supported by an affidavit, to the Thiruvananthapuram District Collector, who is also the returning officer for the constituency, where he is aiming a hat-trick win.
A candidate can submit up to a maximum of four nominations though the EC would accept only one.
The first sentence of an affidavit says his candidature was for election to the “House of Pepole!” Moreover, the candidate’s name has been misspelt as “Shahi Tharoor.” In another affidavit, his party is shown as “Indian Nationa Congress.” His highest educational qualification, as shown in one affidavit, is “PhD Law and Diplomacy” from the “Flecher School of Law and Diplomacy” while the actual name of the US-based graduate school is “The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.”
Vazhuthacaud, the place where he resides in the city, has been misspelt in every possible way: “Vazhuthacadu”, “Vazhthacadu” and “Vazuthacadu.” GJ Condor Marigold, his apartment, is written as “Mary Gold” in some places. Thiruvananthapuram has become “Thiruvanthpuram” in one affidavit.
Tharoor’s office said the affidavit was prepared by a team of professionals comprising chartered accountants and legal experts. “The team was assigned by the party and the candidate just put his signature on all pages. He was too busy with campaigning and didn’t get enough time to go through the pages thoroughly,” a personal staffer said.
Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala, Teeka Ram Meena said the Election Commission does not look for flimsy mistakes in nominations and affidavits.
“Only factual errors and legal issues matter during the scrutiny. The Commission’s policy is to encourage all prospective candidates,” he said.