New Delhi: Kerala is set to witness a high-stakes contest with the BJP fielding Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Thiruvananthapuram, a constituency held by senior Congress Leader Shashi Tharoor for three straight terms. The two leaders, just days before the Lok Sabha elections begin, have said that they would welcome a debate on issues concerning the constituency.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar recently said that he is ready to debate with Mr Tharoor over development in the region.
Mr Tharoor promptly accepted the challenge saying that voters in the constituency know who has been evading a debate.
"Yes, I welcome a debate. But the people of Thiruvananthapuram are aware of who has been evading a debate till now. Let us debate politics and development," Shashi Tharoor wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
"Let us debate price hike, unemployment, corruption, communalism, and the BJP's 10 years of propagating politics of hatred. Let us also discuss about the development of Thiruvananthapuram and the visible progress we have made in last 15 years," he added.
The Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency has been witnessing a high-voltage poll campaign as both parties consider it a prestige battle. This will be the first Lok Sabha contest for Mr Chandrasekhar, who is the Minister of State for Information Technology and Skill Development, and is currently an MP from the Rajya Sabha.
The choice of the Union Minister for the Thiruvananthapuram seat is an indication of the BJP's focus on the southern states, where it had failed to make a significant dent in 2019, winning only 29 of the 129 seats (130 including Puducherry). At 25, most of these came from Karnataka and the remaining from Telangana. Both of those states are now ruled by the Congress.
Kerala is set to vote to elect its 20 Lok Sabha MPs on April 26. Results will be declared on June 4.