"Kerala model turned to debt model": Shashi Tharoor trains guns at LDF, denies CM face speculation for Assembly polls

In an interview with ANI, Shashi Tharoor said that the Congress high command will make a decision for the CM face after consulting the UDF MLAs.

When asked about the CM face, he said, "I'm not even a candidate in the election, so the question is irrelevant. I am going there because I have been asked to be co-chair of the campaign committee. And that means that I will have to run around all 14 districts of the state trying to get our message across to the voters. That is my principal responsibility."

"I genuinely think that in these matters, the matter is not for any individual to express any views. The system is that the high command will consult the elected MLAs and make a decision. The elected MLAs ideally should provide somebody from within themselves, and that would probably be the way to go," he added.

Further, Shashi Tharoor said that the Congress-led alliance will win 72 to 75 seats in the Kerala Assembly elections, just crossing the majority mark of 71 in the 140 seats Assembly, while the UDF should aim for 85 to 100 seats.

The Congress leader said, "My colleagues are very confident of 85 to 100, and I will defer to their judgement. The ones on the ground have been saying this. For me, 72, 73, 75 is good enough. But certainly, 85 to 100 is a good target to aim for."

He trained guns at the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), saying that the Kerala model has turned into a "debt model." Alleging misgovernance, Tharoor claimed a "strong anti-incumbency" sentiment against the LDF.

"LDF has represented 10 years of misgovernance, and there is a strong anti-incumbency against them, and we represent the most credible alternative for change, whereas the NDA is not seen in Kerala, certainly not yet, as a viable alternative government. I believe very seriously that Kerala has really hit rock bottom in recent years. We are a state that used to be called a model state, the Kerala model. Now the Kerala model has become a debt model. We are immersed in debt," he told ANI.

He added, "Our state government runs out of money even to pay salaries by September. They're borrowing money. They are paying more money on debt servicing, that is, paying interest on loans and on pensions and salaries, than they're paying on development projects. Young people are leaving the state in large numbers because there are no job opportunities."

He proposed an Investor Protection Act to provide businesses with an incentive to invest in Kerala. He called for Kerala to be the retirement destination in India, turning it into "the Florida of India."

The Congress MP said, "I have called for an Investor Protection Act that will give our businesses an incentive to come, bring their money in, and not feel there are unnecessary political risks for their money. Take advantage of the fact that Keralites are ageing to create a whole culture of retirement villages. Become the retirement home for the rest of India. Become the Florida of India. We must do it because otherwise, our state is unfortunately facing the nadir."

Criticising the Left, he accused the CPI(M) of diverting taxpayers' money into the "pockets of their cadres."

He said, "The Communists have been past masters of the way in which they would actually be able to guide taxpayers' money into the pockets of their cadres. Every single state government contract, whether for a cultural programme or for an official event, they'll make sure a Communist contractor gets it."

Meanwhile, he referred to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as "non-existent" in the state, claiming that the party will not even play the kingmaker role in the Kerala polls.

When asked about the BJP, he said, "Pretty much non-existent. The BJP currently is a zero-seat party in the assembly. Now, they might have an opportunity to get to one or two or three, and if they do, they'll declare a great victory and be happy. But they're not going to be large enough to be a kingmaker in the assembly. Parliamentary elections are a different story, because people are voting for the national government, and their opinions tend to be divided more between UPA and NDA, whereas in the assembly it is mainly between UDF and LDF."

As Congress gears up for campaigning in Kerala, he said that he will begin the poll-related work from Friday in the state.

He also expressed displeasure over the Election Commission's announcement of polling dates and said, "We have been given a very short window by the Election Commission. I was a bit shocked because under the constitution, the new assembly has to sit in Kerala by May 23, which means the election could have been any time up to about May 8. They have, to everyone's surprise, announced it for April 9, which means that from the day of the announcement, which was March 17, we have barely a little over three weeks. So everything is being telescoped."

"I am surprised that the election commission has done that. Obviously, there are some people suggesting that this is meant to benefit incumbents in those states that are going to the polls on the 9th, which are Assam, where the BJP is the incumbent, Puducherry, where the BJP ally is incumbent, and Kerala, where a Congress opponent is the incumbent, the CPM, the left front. But be that as it may, I'm not going to ascribe motives to anybody. I'm rushing off tomorrow. In fact, straight from the airport, I will have to be heading to various functions," he added.

The 2026 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, the Election Commission of India announced on March 15, with the counting of votes scheduled to take place on May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is scheduled to end on May 23.

Congress on March 17 announced its list of 55 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections. The party has fielded Kerala Congress Committee President Sunny Joseph from the Peravoor seat. Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan has been fielded from the Paravur seat.

Today, the party released the second list of 37 candidates.

In the 2021 polls, the incumbent LDF retained power with 99 seats, marking the first time since 1977 that a ruling alliance secured consecutive terms in the state. The UDF won 41 seats, while the NDA saw a decline in vote share and lost its only seat in the Assembly. (ANI)