Shashi Tharoor for Kerala CM? Congress MP tops survey as UDF's best bet

Mint

3 days ago

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has emerged as the top choice as the UDF's chief ministerial candidate Kerala, his home state, a latest survey has found.
The survey showed that as many as 28.3 per cent support the four-time Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) of the Congress party from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. Assembly elections in Kerala are scheduled to conclude by May next year.
The Congress-led United Democratic Forum will face the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF)—an alliance of left-wing political parties led by the Communist Party of India—in the upcoming elections.
The Kerala Vote Vibe Survey 2026 has revealed a strong wave of anti-incumbency in Kerala. The Opposition UDF, comprising the Congress, is positioned as a change alternative, and the National Democratic Alliance is fast gaining ground as a third option.
The Congress-led United Democratic Forum will face the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF)—an alliance of left-wing political parties led by the Communist Party of India—in the upcoming elections.
'The Kerala 2026 edition of State Vibe captures a state at a political crossroads marked by a rising anti-incumbency wave, a clear desire for change, and a leadership vacuum in both major alliances. While the UDF holds a narrow trust edge, the LDF faces credibility fatigue, and the NDА continues to gain ground. With shifting sentiments across age and gender, the stage is set for a high-stakes electoral battle,' said Amitabh Tiwari, political strategist and founder of VoteVibe, a newly-founded firm at the forefront of political research and sentiment analysis.
A gender-wise breakup of the findings showed more men (30 per cent) backing Tharoor as the UDF's CM face than women (27 per cent). The support is higher among those aged 55 years and above (34.2 per cent) than those aged 18 to 24 (20.3 per cent), the survey said.
Within the ruling LDF, the incumbent Chief Minister is no longer the popular choice as the alliance's face, as per the survey, with only 17.5 percent voting to see Pinarayi Vijayan as the CM's face. Instead, former health minister Kerala minister KK Shailaja has emerged as the top choice among voters, with 24.2 per cent backing her as the LDF's chief ministerial face.
Tharoor, an author, and former diplomat has been representing Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, as Member of Parliament since 2009. He has also been a union minister during UPA government. Tharoor is currently the Chairman of Committee on External Affairs. He has never contested assembly elections. He started his electoral career by contesting from Thiruvananthapuram in 2009 on Congress ticket.
Tharoor, who took the India case post Operation Sindoor in foreign countries while heading an all-party delegation earlier this month, has seemingly riled his party for showing support for the Narendra Modi government over recent military actions across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Some Congress leaders even accused Tharoor of being a 'super spokesperson' for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
I have some differences of opinion with the party, and I will discuss them inside the party.
On June 19, Tharoor admitted that he has some differences of opinion with the Congress party. Tharoor, however, said that he will discuss these differences privately when someone from the party approaches him.