Gujarat assembly polls: Shashi Tharoor not among Congress star campaigners
Congress Party is dealing a severe blow after Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor opted out of the Gujarat election campaign. The party just announced their top campaigners for Gujarat but his name did not appear reportedly making him feel left out. On the other hand, Congress denied 'sidelining' Tharoor. Notably, Tharoor contested for party president last month but lost to Gandhi family loyalist Mallikarjun Kharge.
Why does this story matter?
Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state is being ruled by BJP for over two decades without break since 1998 when Keshubhai Patel was its chief minister. Taking hold of Gujarat, which it last ruled in 1995, is challenging for the Congress as the party has lost several leaders in the past few years, many among whom joined rival BJP.
Tharoor upset with party for exclusion from star campaigners' list
According to reports, Tharoor was invited to campaign in Gujarat by the Congress student branch, but he rejected it. He has decided to remain out of the campaign because he is disgruntled over not being included among the celebrity campaigners, NDTV reported quoting sources. However, neither Tharoor nor Congress has released any public remark on the situation.
Who are star campaigners of Congress?
The Congress Party unveiled a list of star campaigners for the first round of the Gujarat elections on Tuesday. Current chief Kharge, former President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Digvijay Singh, Raghu Sharma, Sachin Pilot, Kamal Nath, and Tariq Anwar are among those on the list.
Tharoor lost presidential election by huge margin
Tharoor lost the Congress presidential election to Kharge by a large margin in October. Kharge received 7,897 votes, but Tharoor received just 1,072 votes. Even before the election, Kharge was regarded as a strong contender for the position, and several key party officials backed him. The Tharoor camp, on the other hand, accused the election of being rigged.
Crucial Gujarat elections next month
Gujarat will hold legislative elections next month. The state will hold elections in two parts on December 1 and 5, with results expected on December 8. Gujarat usually sees a contest between the BJP and the Congress, but the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) entry has made the contest triangular. The AAP is running in the state elections for the first time.
