Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor has got an edge in a recent survey, in which he has been described as the most preferred candidate for the post of chief minister of Kerala. This survey conducted by Mumbai-based Votevibe has been shared by Tharoor on his X account. This survey has come out amid speculations of tension between Tharoor and the congress high command.
Tharoor is the first choice for the post of cm in Kerala
A supporter of Tharoor posted on X regarding this survey, in which he tagged senior congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, priyanka gandhi and leader of Opposition VD Satheesan. The post said that a recent survey shows that Shashi Tharoor has emerged as the best candidate for the post of Chief minister in the 2026 kerala elections for the factionalism-ridden UDF alliance.
According to a report by news agency IANS, despite this survey, the newly appointed president of Kerala Pradesh congress Committee (KPCC) Sunny Joseph tried to underestimate him. Joseph said that the Congress chooses its leadership only after the election results by following a proper procedure.
Reportedly, Tharoor's relationship with the national congress leadership has been strained ever since he contested the party president's election against mallikarjun Kharge. This tension deepened when his name was removed from the list of leaders for the central government's Operation Sindoor outreach initiative.
How many votes did Tharoor get?
In the Votevibe poll, Tharoor has been placed at the top among kerala voters with 28.3 percent votes. However, 27.1 percent of voters seemed unsure about the leadership of the UDF. This poll also highlights the leadership vacuum within the United Democratic Front (UDF).
Despite Tharoor's strong performance, former health minister K.K. Shailaja emerged as the favourite in the LDF faction, polling 24.2 per cent votes, while incumbent chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan got the support of only 17.5 per cent.
click and follow Indiaherald WhatsApp channel