In a significant development ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Shashi Tharoor, the three-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram representing the Congress party, has accepted a challenge for an open debate from Union Minister and BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Tharoor’s acceptance of the challenge comes amidst a charged political atmosphere in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency, where the Congress, BJP, and CPI veterans are gearing up for a heated electoral battle.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Tharoor remarked that the people of Thiruvananthapuram are well aware of who has been evading a debate until now. In a post on social media platform X, he expressed his readiness to engage in a debate focusing on critical issues such as price hikes, unemployment, corruption, communalism, and the BJP’s alleged propagation of politics of hatred over the past decade.
Furthermore, Tharoor emphasized the importance of discussing the development trajectory of the district over the last 15 years, highlighting the “visible progress” achieved during his tenure as the constituency’s representative.
The exchange between Tharoor and Chandrasekhar underscores the intensity of the electoral contest in Thiruvananthapuram, with each candidate vying to present their vision for the constituency’s future.
Chandrasekhar, whose Rajya Sabha term recently concluded, expressed eagerness to participate in his maiden Lok Sabha polls, indicating a fresh phase in his political journey. His parliamentary tenure began in 2006 as a representative of Karnataka.
Meanwhile, Tharoor, a renowned author and former international civil servant, has been a prominent figure in Indian politics since his electoral debut in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls. He has since retained the Thiruvananthapuram seat in the subsequent two terms and currently serves as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology.
With voting scheduled for April 26 across all 20 segments of Kerala in the second phase of the general elections, the Thiruvananthapuram constituency is poised for a keenly contested electoral battle. The counting of votes for all 543 Lok Sabha seats is slated for June 4.
