THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shashi Tharoor, MP from Thiruvananthapuram, is facing scathing criticism for failing to hit the campaign trail for the local body polls in his home constituency. Nonetheless, Neyyatinkara Sanal, president, DCC, told TNIE that Tharoor will arrive here on Sunday.
Tharoor, meanwhile, insists that he has been actively campaigning for them virtually, where he has given short video messages for all the UDF candidates in the fray.
Though the Thiruvananthapuram DCC leadership is awaiting its star campaigner, there is still a degree of uncertainty regarding his arrival. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala had personally asked Tharoor to come down for at least three days of campaigning. A whispering campaign is on against the UN official-turned-politico for keeping aloof from his constituency since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Despite Tharoor’s MP office in the constituency discharging its duties without fail, Congress leaders believe that the flamboyant leader’s absence has been felt over the last few months in Thiruvananthapuram. A source close to Tharoor told TNIE that he didn’t deliberately stay away from his constituency. The fact that the 64-year-old MP is a diabetic and that he has to take care of his mother, Lily Tharoor, 84, at their New Delhi residence, has prevented him from visiting his constituency. Tharoor was upbeat on the UDF’s prospects in the coming local body elections.
“I have been recording online campaign messages for all the UDF candidates, 93 so far. Twenty-three more requests are pending and more are coming in daily. These are going into each candidate’s Facebook posts and WhatsApp messages and they draw a good response. That’s what they have told me. Requests have also come from candidates in Kochi and Palakkad, but of course my main focus is on the home constituency,” Tharoor told TNIE.
He said the feedback he has been getting from across the state indicates that the UDF stands to gain more in the local body elections. However, Tharoor maintained that the LDF has discredited itself through its own dismal performance. But at the same time, Tharoor says, “The UDF can do very well, though as usual, a lot will depend on voter turnout.” Regarding allegations of UDF not having entered the fray in several constituencies where the fight is between the LDF and the BJP, Tharoor said such issues are often heard of in local body polls.