Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge amid growing discussions over leadership and chief ministerial choices following the UDF’s sweeping victory in Kerala.
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi as political discussions intensified over the formation of the next UDF government in Kerala and the emerging chief ministerial race within the Congress.
Sharing details of the meeting on social media, Tharoor said he discussed the political situation in Kerala and recent developments involving the Congress party with Kharge.
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“Always good to share views with the robust, direct and experienced veteran,” Tharoor wrote after the meeting.
Why is the meeting significant?
The meeting comes at a crucial time for the Congress-led United Democratic Front after its emphatic victory in the Kerala Assembly elections.
The UDF secured 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, comfortably defeating the ruling LDF and returning to power after a decade.
With the alliance preparing to form the next government, attention has shifted to the Congress leadership’s decision on who will become Kerala’s next chief minister.
Opposition leader V. D. Satheesan is widely seen as the frontrunner for the chief minister’s post after leading the UDF campaign and playing a central role in the alliance’s comeback.
However, Tharoor’s growing national profile, public popularity and recent political positioning have also triggered conversations within political circles about his possible role in the new political setup.
The Congress high command is expected to hold consultations with senior Kerala leaders before taking a final decision.
Tharoor highlights Kerala’s communal harmony
Alongside the leadership discussions, Tharoor also highlighted the Kerala election verdict as an example of communal harmony.
In another social media post, he pointed out that voters in several constituencies elected candidates from communities different from the majority population in those regions.
Tharoor described Kerala as a state where people continue to look beyond caste and religion while voting, despite the rise of identity politics in many parts of the country.
He cited constituencies such as Thavanur, Kalamassery, Kochi and Trikaripur as examples of cross-community electoral support.
The Congress leadership is expected to continue discussions in the coming days regarding cabinet formation and the selection of the next Kerala chief minister.
While the party has not officially announced a CM candidate yet, the meeting between Tharoor and Kharge has added further political interest to the ongoing leadership discussions within the victorious UDF camp.
Published: 08 May 2026, 09:42 am IST
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