THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the Congress presidential elections on Monday, Shashi Tharoor updated his cover photo on his Facebook page with a picture of him waving to the crowd with the caption, "Member of Parliament, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala". Tharoor who had put on a formidable fight against Mallikarjun Kharge had flown back to New Delhi on Monday evening. In fact, he even found time to release a book by author A Khyrunnisa amid his hectic schedule.
Ever since Tharoor filed his nomination papers on September 30, he had been travelling the length and the breadth of the country seeking the support of all the Pradesh Congress Committee office bearers. Even though Tharoor's MP office has been functioning normally in Thiruvananthapuram, he was hardly there for a couple of days. Now he is back in his MP role as is evident from his Facebook page. That may be why he found time to release one of his favourite writer's books before dashing off to catch the last flight to New Delhi on Monday evening.
Even when a cross-section of the State Congress leaders wanted to see Tharoor withdraw his nomination, they knew that he, being a man of 'principled stand' will not change his stand. Oommen Chandy who shares an excellent camaraderie with Tharoor was a worried lot after many of his loyalists showed allegiance to Tharoor when nomination papers were signed.
It was Oommen Chandy's trusted loyalist Thampanoor Ravi who first signed the nomination paper and also voted first in favour of Tharoor on Monday. Two senior Congress MPs confirmed to TNIE that Oommen Chandy had personally spoken to leaders like KC Abu and KM Oommer from Kozhikode to change their stand. Among the 13 leaders from the State who had proposed Tharoor in his five sets of nomination papers, these two leaders had also signed.
"They have been upset with the leadership for repeatedly being sidelined despite sweating hard for the party for decades. So they were keen to shift sides and with the support of Kozhikode MP MK Raghavan, they decided to endorse Tharoor. Oommen Chandy and few other leaders spoke to them, but we do not know whether they have abided", echoed two senior Congress MPs.
If that's the case, the vote share from Tharoor's home state will come down. The fan following of Tharoor in all the states he went for campaigning resembled an election campaign towards the run up to the Lok Sabha election. He is aware that most of them were members of All India Professional Congress Committees, and majority of them do not have voting right in the presidential election.
Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden who had endorsed Tharoor told The New Indian Express that his wings should not be clipped once the poll outcome is known on Wednesday. "Tharoor should stay in the Congress party and fight. He is always a resourceful person whose true potential has never been utilized. The major problem that Tharoor is facing is that he is in the Opposition where there are limitations to use his real prowess", said Hibi Eden.