Thiruvananthapuram, May 15 Even as Kerala prepares for the swearing in of V.D. Satheesan as the Chief Minister of the state on Monday, one prominent Congress leader will be missing from the high profile event in Thiruvananthapuram would be the flamboyant local MP Shashi Tharoor.
But if recent political developments are any indication, Tharoor's absence from the ceremony is unlikely to diminish his growing visibility within the Congress and Kerala politics.
In a characteristically elegant social media post on Friday on X, Tharoor expressed regret over missing the occasion, saying he would be in Boston to deliver the commencement address at the graduation ceremony of his alma mater, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
He also noted that he would be participating in the 50th anniversary reunion of his graduating class.
"An occasion for celebrating the past in the US even as I look forward to the future in Kerala," Tharoor said, in a social media post on X that quickly caught political attention for its subtle political messaging.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP has, in recent months, moved noticeably closer to the Congress high command after a period of uneasy equations within sections of the state party leadership.
During the recently concluded Kerala Assembly election campaign, Tharoor emerged as one of the Congress-led United Democratic Front's most sought after campaigners.
Candidates across Kerala reportedly competed to secure the Congress MP's presence at public meetings, sensing the crowd pulling appeal he continues to enjoy, particularly among youth and urban voters.
Travelling extensively across the state, from the northern districts to the southern tip, Tharoor addressed packed gatherings marked as much by political enthusiasm as public curiosity.
His speeches, polished, articulate and laced with wit drew large audiences, many of whom waited long just to hear him speak.
Within Congress circles too, there is growing recognition that Tharoor's appeal now extends beyond Thiruvananthapuram, giving the party a nationally recognisable face capable of energising both party cadres and undecided voters.
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