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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor described Keralam as a "model of communal harmony" despite the growing influence of identity politics in the country, citing the electoral choices made by voters across communities in the recently concluded 2026 Assembly elections.
In a post on X, Tharoor termed it "One Kerala story" and highlighted how constituencies with majority populations from one community elected candidates belonging to another faith. "One #KeralaStory from the recent election results that communalists should note: a Muslim majority constituency, Thavanur, elected a Christian, VS Joy; a Hindu majority constituency, Kalamassery, elected a Muslim, VE Abdul Gafoor; and a Christian majority constituency, Kochi, elected a Muslim, Muhammed Shiyas. Despite some influence from the national trends in favour of identity politics, Kerala remains a model of communal harmony, a state where people see human beings first and caste or religion later," he said. https://x.com/ShashiTharoor/status/2052091536922525869 The remarks came as the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) began the process of government formation after registering a sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly elections. The UDF secured 102 seats in the 140-member Assembly, ending a decade of Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule in the state. Congress emerged as the single-largest party in the alliance with 63 seats, while its ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), secured 22 seats. Meanwhile, Congress MLA-elect VD Satheesan held a roadshow in his Peravur constituency on Wednesday following his victory in the Assembly polls. Accompanied by a large number of party workers and supporters, Satheesan greeted people during the procession. Satheesan won the Peravur seat with 78,658 votes, defeating CPI(M) candidate ET Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. He is being considered one of the frontrunners for the Chief Minister's post along with senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala. The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is set to hold its first Legislative Party meeting of newly elected MLAs on Thursday in Thiruvananthapuram. Senior AICC observers Ajay Maken and Mukul Wasnik are expected to attend the meeting, where discussions on the Chief Ministerial face are likely to take place. Earlier, KC Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala met Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi as consultations over government formation continued. (ANI)
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