The Lokmat Parliamentary Awards for the fifth edition is currently underway in the capital city of Delhi. Several dignitaries attended the event, and the awards were being presented by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. Congress stalwart Shashi Tharoor was also present at the event today. Shashi Tharoor was honored with the 'Best Parliamentarian of the Year' award.An author, politician, and former international civil servant, Shashi Tharoor has extensive experience in various fields. Currently serving as the Member of Parliament for the Thiruvananthapuram constituency for the third time and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, he has previously worked as Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs in the Indian government.
A Sahitya Akademi Award winner, Tharoor has authored many works of fiction and non-fiction since 1981.Popular for his command over the English language, Tharoor was the most followed Indian on Twitter before being overtaken by Narendra Modi. This year the led by Dr. Vijay Darda and comprising distinguished figures such as Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Bhavna Gavli, C.R. Patil, and others, selected deserving MPs for the awards. Instituted in 2017, the Lokmat Parliamentary Awards aim to recognize and encourage MPs' constructive work. Past recipients include former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Sharad Pawar. This year's winners, selected across diverse categories, include Pr. Ram Gopal Yadav, Dr. Sasmith Patra, Saroj Pandey, John Brittas, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Maneka Gandhi, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Kunwar Danish Ali, lauded for their notable contributions in 2023.