Will BJP be able to challenge Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram?

KUSHAL JEENA

These days everyone’s attention is on Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in the southern state of Kerala because after the Sabarimala controversy, the influence of BJP has increased on this seat.

Senior Congress leader and former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations Shashi Tharoor has been winning from Thiruvananthapuram parliamentary constituency, traditionally considered to be the second stronghold of the Congress after Wayanad, for the last several years and that too by a good margin.

Last time he had defeated BJP candidate K Rajasekharan by about one lakh votes.

Although it cannot yet be said with certainty that the BJP has spread its wings in this region to such an extent that it can give a tough challenge to Tharoor, but the increasing influence of the BJP in the capital of a 100% educated and progressive state like Kerala definitely speculate this possibility to some extent.

This may definitely be a matter of concern for both the Marxist Communist Party and the Congress in the future.

This time BJP has fielded its veteran leader Rajeev Chandrasekaran against Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram.

A total of twelve candidates are contesting from this seat. Voting is to be held in the second phase on 26 April. The contest is going to be very interesting because Rajiv is spending money in excess to win the elections.
However, this seems to be a different matter, in a conscious state like Kerala as in elections, more attention is paid to the qualifications of the candidates rather than money.

The presence of CPI in the electoral contest in Thiruvananthapuram has made the election three-cornered, but the outcome of the election depends on the ability of CPI to cut off the opposition votes because last time also CPI had fielded its candidate which stood third in the contest.

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state, plays an important role in the politics of the state. One of the most revered sites in Thiruvananthapuram is the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This ancient temple, known for its intricate Dravidian architecture and majestic gopuram (tower), holds immense religious significance.

It is noteworthy that this temple is one of the richest temples in the world.

Thiruvananthapuram also has picturesque beaches, including the world famous Kovalam Beach. Thiruvananthapuram is also a center for classical arts, where Kathakali performances, traditional music festivals and dance recitals are held regularly.

From the political point of view, this seat is considered to be the stronghold of senior Congress leader Dr. Shashi Tharoor. Since 2009 general elections, Shashi Tharoor has been winning from here with a huge margin of votes. He won the 2019 general elections by defeating BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan by 99,989 votes.

Talking about the political history of Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency, the current MP Dr. Shashi Tharoor has seen remarkable consistency in his electoral performance. This constituency has historically been a stronghold of the Congress. Congress party has been a contender against CPI (M) on many occasions. However, in the last few years, the district has seen the BJP continuously strengthening its footing.

However, the general elections of 2019 and 2014 had emerged as a big challenge for Congress leader Dr. Tharoor because in 2014 there was a massive BJP wave at the Center and in the year 2019, the Sabarimala protest case had created problems.

While on one hand Shashi Tharoor had served as an efficient diplomat in the United Nations for a long time, on the other hand Rajiv has studied electrical engineering. He earned a master’s degree in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1988. Chandrashekhar is currently the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology. He was earlier the Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Jal Shakti.

Rajeev Chandrashekhar started his career by playing a key role in designing the I 486 processor from Intel. After returning to India in 1991, he joined the BPL group. In 1994, Mr. Chandrashekhar founded BPL Mobile, a leading telecommunications company. He later sold his 64% stake in BPL Communications to Essar Group for $1.1 billion.