In Tharoor stronghold, Rajeev Chandrasekhar mixes change pitch with Modi theme to woo middle class

During his whistle-stop roadshow with nearly two dozen stopovers, Chandrasekhar keeps driving home his message before the crowds that the stage was set for the Modi government 3.0 and that he would be a minister in it.

Kicking off the day’s campaign at Kannammoola, senior BJP leader P K Krishnadas said, “If we ensure Chandrasekhar’s victory, Modi ji would certainly make him a member of his Cabinet. If (Congress candidate) Shashi Tharoor or (CPI candidate) Pannian Ravindran is elected, they would hold sit-ins in Delhi and will never bring any development to Thiruvananthapuram. We want Chandrasekhar to bring in change in this constituency.”

Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Seat, all you need to know

Although the roadshow was running behind the schedule, people waited for Chandrasekhar for long hours despite the current festivals at local temples. At some receptions, the BJP candidate did not even speak. “People from all sections are attending his reception. Everyone expects that he will become a minister in the next Modi government,’’ said Ravi, a resident of Mannamoola in the city.

The entrepreneur-turned-politician Chandrasekhar, 59, has turned the Thiruvananthapuram face-off as one of the most keenly contested battles in Kerala this time, even though the BJP has never been able to win a Lok Sabha seat in the state.

The constituency has been the stronghold of three-term Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, the UN diplomat-turned-politician, who has been winning it since 2009, becoming its longest-serving MP so far.

The LDF’s nominee Pannian Ravindran, the 78-year-old CPI leader, had won the seat in 2005 in a bypoll. Since 2014, the BJP has been the runner-up in Thiruvananthapuram, pushing the LDF to the third place. In the 2019 polls, Tharoor had trounced the BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan by nearly one lakh votes.

Tharoor exudes confidence about the prospects of his fourth term as he showcases his 15-year track record in his campaigning across the constituency.

Pitted against two high-profile rivals, Ravindran tells the electorate: “The state capital requires a vishwasikkavunna powran, not vishwa powran (a trustworthy person, not a global citizen)”, as he projects his local commoner image against “a private jet-flying multi-billionaire and another billionaire”. He also underlines the Left’s opposition to the CAA and its fight against Hindutva.

Last week, Chandrasekhar went into a huddle with various professional groups in the city, including engineers, doctors and technocrats, to work out his strategy against Tharoor, whose vote bank comprises a large section from the aspirational middle class, including youths and professionals, besides the Congress’s core support base. In the past three elections, the BJP and the Left candidates did not have an answer to Tharoor’s appeal among the middle class, which Chandrasekhar is now attempting to wean through his outreach and pledges.

Conceding that he faces challenge from Chandrasekhar, Tharoor said, “The NDA’s campaigning is energetic and professional. If people are hearing that, we must counter it. Nobody can deny the development I have brought in the last 15 years. The national highway development, Vizhinjam seaport and IT development. I speak about the future of the country.”

The Congress also complained to the EC that there were “discrepancies” in Chandrasekhar’s poll affidavit about his taxable income in 2021-22. As per his tax returns, his income in the 2022-23 was Rs 5,59,200, while it was only Rs 680 in 2021-22.

Chandrasekhar rejected the allegation, asserting that his income in 2021-22 fell to that level following his business losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His clarification came after the EC directed the I-T department to verify any mismatch in the BJP candidate’s affidavit.

Meanwhile, the BJP, in its complaint to the EC, stated that Tharoor accused Chandrasekhar of allegedly offering money to voters and religious leaders. Chandrasekhar rejected the allegation. The EC has also warned Tharoor not to make unverified allegations in contravention of the Model Code of Conduct.

Thiruvananthapuram has a mix of urban, coastal and rural voters. The electorate comprises 68% Hindus, 19% Christians and 13% Muslims. All the three leading candidates, Tharoor, Chandrasekhar and Ravindran, belong to the upper caste Nair community, which makes up a significant chunk among the Hindu voters. The Nair outfit Nair Service Society’s general secretary G Sukumaran Nair has thrown his weight behind Tharoor, although the allegiance of the community members seems to be split between the three parties.

The votes of the Christian and Muslim communities would be crucial in the constituency. The Christian community living in the coastal belt has had some resentment against the CPM-led LDF as well as the BJP dispensation over the Adani group’s Vizhinjam project.

A seller of puja items at Parassala, Rajesh, says the contest would be mainly between Tharoor and Chandrasekhar. “Left is doing the best ground-level activity, but people are not happy with the state government’s performance. Tharoor has been here for 15 years. People don’t say Tharoor has not performed, but a section of them may look for a change. At the same time, even Hindus here whom I meet express their concerns over the Manipur violence,” he said.