Shashi Tharoor’s position within the Congress party continues to be one of the most intriguing paradoxes in Indian politics. He is among the party’s most distinguished leaders, a globally recognized intellectual, and an eloquent speaker who has consistently won elections in Thiruvananthapuram since 2009. Yet, he remains an outlier in the Congress power structure, a leader who is valued but not fully embraced, admired yet often sidelined. His dilemma is not just a personal one but also reflective of a larger issue within the Congress—its struggle to accommodate leaders who do not fit into its traditional mold of politics.
Tharoor’s success in electoral politics, despite lacking a traditional Congress upbringing, is a testament to his personal appeal. As a former UN diplomat, a celebrated author, and a public intellectual, he attracts a distinct voter base, one that is educated, aspirational, and looking for a leader beyond the usual caste and community calculations that dominate Indian politics. However, his rise has not been without challenges. The Congress in Kerala has always been faction-ridden, with leaders emerging from trade unions, student movements, and grassroots mobilization. Tharoor, who entered politics late and directly through the Lok Sabha, has never been part of any of these factions. This has meant that despite his electoral victories, he lacks the strong internal backing needed to climb the party hierarchy in the state.
His recent remarks about the leadership vacuum in the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) reflect a deeper malaise in the state unit. The Congress in Kerala has multiple power centers, with VD Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, KC Venugopal, K Muraleedharan, and K Sudhakaran all vying for influence. Unlike these leaders, who have spent decades cultivating party workers and forging alliances within the organization, Tharoor has largely operated as a one-man force. His suggestion that he could be a viable chief ministerial candidate in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections was met with skepticism and resistance, as he lacks the backing of the party’s unions and coalition partners like the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which plays a crucial role in UDF politics.
Tharoor’s independence, while making him a unique figure in Indian politics, has also been a liability within the Congress. His praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to appoint S. Jaishankar as India’s foreign minister and his positive comments about Kerala’s startup ecosystem under the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government have raised eyebrows within the party. In Indian politics, where party discipline is paramount, such candid opinions are often viewed as acts of defiance. The Congress, which is struggling to define its identity in the Modi era, is not comfortable with leaders who do not strictly adhere to the party line.
At the national level, Tharoor’s potential remains largely untapped. His expertise in foreign policy, his articulate defense of liberal values, and his ability to connect with young, urban voters make him a rare asset in a party that has struggled to capture the imagination of India’s middle class. However, his decision to contest the Congress presidential election in 2022 against Mallikarjun Kharge—who was backed by the Nehru-Gandhi family—further alienated him from the party high command. While he framed his candidacy as a move to revive internal democracy, the Congress leadership saw it as an act of rebellion. Since then, Tharoor has remained on the margins, neither fully included in national decision-making nor given a clear role in the party’s future strategy.
His declining electoral margins also raise questions about his long-term viability. In 2009, he won Thiruvananthapuram with an overwhelming majority, riding on his charisma and his outsider appeal. However, in the 2024 general elections, he barely scraped through, defeating BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar by just 16,000 votes. Analysts suggest that his victory was made possible by strategic vote transfers from the CPI(M) and the CPI, as well as strong support from Latin Catholic and Muslim voters in certain rural Assembly segments. However, urban voters, who were once his core support base, may have been disappointed by his inability to deliver on his grand promises, such as transforming Thiruvananthapuram into a global city like Barcelona.
Tharoor’s biggest challenge is that while he enjoys a certain intellectual and international stature, he has not built a strong political base in Kerala or within the Congress. Unlike leaders who command a loyal cadre of party workers, Tharoor’s appeal remains largely individualistic. This makes it difficult for him to exert influence within the Congress, which functions through networks of patronage and internal groupings. While he might see himself as a reformer who can modernize the party, the Congress leadership sees him as a maverick who is difficult to control.
This disconnect has led to growing speculation that Tharoor might eventually leave the Congress. He has hinted at his frustration with the party’s reluctance to offer him a meaningful role, and his recent statements suggest that he is keeping his options open. While he has not openly rebelled, his calculated distance from the Congress’s internal factional battles indicates that he is unwilling to play by the traditional rules of party politics. If he were to leave, it is unclear which direction he would take—whether he would join another party, form his own political outfit, or return to a non-political career.
Despite these uncertainties, one thing is clear: Congress has struggled to accommodate Tharoor in a way that fully utilizes his potential. His predicament reflects a broader issue within the party—it remains wary of independent-minded leaders and prefers loyalty over merit. While Tharoor’s brand of politics resonates with a certain section of voters, it does not align with the Congress’s existing structures and leadership dynamics.
Ultimately, Tharoor’s future in the Congress depends on whether the party is willing to evolve and make space for leaders like him. If it continues to resist change, it risks losing not just Tharoor but also the urban, aspirational voters he represents. However, if Tharoor remains within the Congress without a clear role, he risks fading into political irrelevance. For now, he remains in a state of limbo—a leader with immense potential but no clear path forward. And that is why the Congress has neither the heart nor a house for Shashi Tharoor.
