Both Tharoor and Chandrasekhar check somewhat the same boxes, as both belong to the Nair community, both are professionals turned parliamentarians and appeal to a similar middle-class professionals and youth base.
The election in Thiruvananthapuram is proving to be one of the most keenly watched contests in these Lok Sabha polls. The seat is currently held by its third term MP, Shashi Tharoor, who is also the longest serving MP from the constituency. He has held onto his seat largely due to the force of his own charisma, for his people’s connect far outdoes his party’s base. This election was considered a walkover for the Congress-led UDF coalition, until the BJP introduced a high-profile candidate in Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who has the reputation of being a doer and someone who delivers. The two check somewhat the same boxes, as both belong to the Nair community, both are professionals turned parliamentarians and appeal to a similar middle-class professionals and youth base. Chandrasekhar’s task is not easy for the BJP’s vote share is around 30% to 31% at best.
The party does not have a single MP from the state and his candidature was only announced on 3 March. But in that short span of time Rajeev has infused energy and buzz around the BJP’s campaign. On a lighter note, the buzz is that most of the candidates refused to stand against Tharoor saying the women vs men ratio in the state is over 50% in favour of the former; which leaves the rest only 40 plus percent of the vote share to contest from. Nonetheless, it’s a gauntlet that Chandrasekhar has picked up.
There is a third candidate in the fray, the CPI’s Pannian Raveendran, him of the curly locks. Raveendran represents the united Left (LDF). The 78-year-old, former state secretary has the backing of the state’s CPM government and has a certain committed vote share, but the communists have been slipping in the last two of Lok Sabha elections with the BJP coming second. In fact, with Amethi having crumbled and Rae Bareli seeing a non-Sonia Gandhi contest, this is counted as one of the few “legacy” seats remaining with the Congress. Though the legacy here is three elections old as it only began when Tharoor jumped in the fray.
Due to the state’s high literacy rate and political awareness the campaign in Kerala tends to focus more on issues and deliverables rather than distractions on religious and communal lines. The dialogue is civilized, making this a gentleman’s game, a refreshing change from the unruly rhetoric that we see in some states. Here each candidate is invited to address town halls and answer questions by a very engaged audience. While Raveendran has stayed away from these events, both Shashi and Rajeev are seen during the rounds at these events, some of these that are organised by Christian, Muslim, Hindu groups as well as the Nair and fishing communities. It is reassuring to see a BJP candidate at church get-togethers and local iftars, but as Rajeev told The Sunday Guardian, “We are campaigning with every community—Muslims, Christians, Hindus… Prime Minister Narendra Modi is offering what every young person regardless of caste or creed wants—economic development and prosperity.” And then adds “this is one of the first times the Church has invited a BJP leader to speak.” This could also be largely due to Rajeev’s own image as someone who would rather the election be fought on governance issues than religious divides. And for that he has what he calls his Mission not Vision statement.
The BJP is taking this election very seriously. Chandrasekhar’s supporters are heard telling the voters that if they vote for the BJP candidate they will be voting for a Union Minister in the next government; but if they elect Shashi Tharoor, then all they will get is an opposition MP. When asked about this, Shashi told The Sunday Guardian, “Not only did I do a lot when I was a Union Minister but have continuing doing a lot even when I am not one, as fortunately I have connections within the bureaucracy and also abroad. I do find it somewhat self-indulgent on their part when they say that they will gain a minister because there is a miscalculation in thinking that the BJP will be coming back. The old narrative that the BJP is peddling about Ab Ki Baar 400 par is all hype and propaganda and if anything they are staring at losing their majority. In at least nine to eleven states they have maxed out.” However, Rajeev counters this by saying, “Mr Tharoor tries desperately to delude himself and his voters that some miracle will bring a Congress government to Delhi.”
Shashi then goes on to play the outsider card against Rajeev and asks what the BJP has done for the people of his constituency. “There is also fundamental issue here. The BJP has made three promises to the people of India that they have not kept. They promised an AIIMS in Kerala, then in response to my request they promised an Ayush University, which they then set up in Gujarat, they promised to upgrade the National Institute for Speech & Hearing to a national university of disability studies, then went and established in the Northeast. The BJP track record is zero in keeping their promises to the people of Kerala.”
Questioning Rajeev’s commitment to his state, Tharoor points out, “He has been the IT minister for two and a half years. He talks about the techno park here saying nothing has been done for it, couldn’t he have done something as IT Minister? In my time Techno Park has gone from 17,500 employees to 70,000 and is still growing, so it’s not that I’ve been neglecting it. This gentleman had a portfolio with which he could have done something for the techno park. Did he use it?”
Rajeev counters this by pointing out that the election should be fought on the past performance of the sitting MP, and adds, “I have to do what is right for the people of Thiruvananthapuram, which currently seems stuck in a time warp. There has been no progress for the last 15 years. I have promised them politics of performance, I am a person who likes to get things done. I am certainly not one of those who writes letters and asks one or two questions every session and says that is my great goal towards the people who elected me. I am cut from a very different cloth, people recognise that I am a doer.” And adds, “There is no similarity between us except for this loose definition of professionals. I have a very different mindset and approach towards politics. I consider this as public service. I take great exception to anyone who says we are both similar or same. We are chalk and cheese as far as public life is concerned.”
As to the charge that he would have preferred to contest from Karnataka rather than Kerala, he says, “Thiruvananthapuram is a prestigious seat, it is the capital of Kerala and I have always been open to contesting from here. I am an outsider to the traditional politics that the UDF and LDF have done. In the last 50 years, they have played a nice jugalbandi and fooled the people of Kerala for far too long.” About the outsider charge he laughs and says, “That is a slightly foolish argument, especially for the Congress which had foisted Sonia Gandhi as their president for so many years, taken Manmohan Singh to Assam and imported Rahul from UP to Wayanad—for them to talk about outsider is a bit of a stretch. It is taking irony and killing it.”
The debate got accelerated when Shashi accused Rajeev of lying about his assets in his affidavit and was served a legal notice in return. This is the last leg of campaigning where the rhetoric does tend to get heated. However, a mere glance at the brochures of the two candidates tells its own story. Rajeev’s brochure has the Prime Minister standing right beside him, talks about his track record as a Union Minister along with that of the Modi government. In fact his entire campaign is fought on delivering “Modi Ki Guarantee”. As he told this newspaper, “When the BJP gets 400 par, I want Thiruvananthapuram to be one of those 400.”
Shashi Tharoor’s brochure is centred around his own personality—his deliverables for the constituency and also his considerable achievements, at the UN and as an author. The state Congress as we know is wary of Shashi’s ambitions, but at the same time they know that to sabotage him would be suicidal for the party. Shashi himself talks about this being his last Lok Sabha, though he does add, “never say never”, but talks about other challenges. This could be a hint towards his ambitions of being state Chief Minister one day but that’s for another story. As he says, “I have always tried to be more than just a regular politician, that’s my nature, I am not a stereotype.” He has got a lot of flak for breaking out, to which he says, “I don’t fit into the norm, what I brought to the Congress party was my individuality. Here is someone who thinks differently but the core values are in sync with the party. There have been a few rough moments when my colleagues have not understood what I was saying, or felt it was not part of their approved strategy but I think on more substantive issues we have stood together.”
One thing is certain. After the BJP deployed Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Shashi Tharoor’s turf the battle for Thiruvananthapuram got elevated to one of the Big Fights in these Lok Sabha elections. Not just for the result but for the sheer thrill of the campaign trail, for at play here are two candidates who control the narrative just by the sheer force of their personalities. May the best Gentleman win.