Tharoor files nomination from Thiruvananthapuram for 4th bid in LS polls

Senior Congress leader and three-time Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor filed his nomination on Wednesday from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency for the fourth consecutive time in the Lok Sabha elections.

Tharoor arrived at the district collectorate in the afternoon along with senior party leaders, including MLA M Vincent, former minister V S Sivakumar, and Thiruvananthapuram DCC president Palode Ravi, along with other workers.
 

He shook hands with people and exchanged pleasantries while proceeding to the Collectorate complex. Some party activists draped shawls around him and expressed their support.

Before filing his nomination, Tharoor offered prayers at famed shrines in the constituency, including Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple.

With senior CPI leader and former Thiruvananthapuram MP Pannian Raveendran and BJP leader and Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar as Tharoor's challengers in the fray, the high-profile Thiruvananthapuram constituency is set for a fierce three-cornered battle in the crucial polls this time.

Tharoor, who is a former UN diplomat, began his journey in electoral politics, winning the Thiruvananthapuram seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.

He scored a hat-trick in the 2019 general election by securing a margin of 99,989 votes over his nearest rival.

Polling will be held on April 26 in Kerala for all 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.