Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 26 : After casting his vote on Friday, Congress MP and candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor said that the 2024 elections are all about India's future, and added that it would not only restore faith in diversity but also in the country's pluralism.
Tharoor went on to say that the elections are "far greater" than his own future, and he has repeatedly made this point.
While speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor said, "...As a Congress candidate at every junction and every stop, I have repeatedly made the point that as far as I am concerned, this is an election about far greater than my own future. It is about India's future. It is about changing the government in Delhi. That's what we are here to do."
"We are here to restore democracy, restore a faith in diversity and restore India's pluralism, and restore, for the first time, the country that most of us grew up in and took for granted until these 10 years have veered it in a very different direction..." he added.
Tharoor said that "he's fighting for" a country free of the kind of bitterness, hatred, communalism that has dominated India's political discourse for quite long.
"A country free of communalism, a country free of the kind of bitterness, hatred, and unpleasant invective..that has dominated our political discourse over the last few years, that's what I am fighting for..." Tharoor said.
"The Left also claims they are also critical of the BJP but they've never said a word against BJP. That's the only question I was asking. Why not?" Tharoor asked.
Earlier today, Congress MP and candidate from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor queued up outside a polling booth in the constituency to cast his vote.
Shashi Tharoor, a former UN diplomat and Congress leader will be seeking a fourth straight term from Thiruvananthapuram constituency, as he is faces a two-front contest against Union Minister of State, Rajeev Chandrashekhar and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Panniyan Ravindran.
Tharoor, who has held the seat since 2009, is facing a challenge as the BJP has named a strong face against him. Chandrashekhar has served as the MoS for electronics, Entrepreneurship and Information Technology.
The second phase of polls has 88 Lok Sabha constituencies across 13 States/Union Territory including 20 in Kerala, 13 in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Manipur, and Jammu & Kashmir
According to the ECI, over 15.88 crore voters will be voting in the second phase which includes 8.08 crore male electors, 7.8 crore female electors, and 5929 third-gender electors.
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