A meme icon, a rebellious mind, too cool to be PM: How Shashi Tharoor is key to Congress in 2026 Kerala elections

As Kerala heads for high-stakes parliamentary elections on April 9, the spotlight is increasingly on the articulate Congressman Shashi Tharoor – and not as a leading contender for a ministerial berth.

Shashi Tharoor has always been a key figure when it comes to Kerala politics – be it the Assembly elections or the Lok Sabha poll, which he won from the Kerala elections. Thiruvananthapuram seat in 2024 – as a crucial campaign strategist and public face of the United Democratic Front (UDF).

Seen shaking a leg and trying his hands on traditional instruments recently with election candidates, the charismatic Congressman has strongly ruled himself out of the prime ministerial race and supported the MLAs-elect in contesting for the post.

Tharoor said earlier this month that while he is not a candidate, he need not worry about a particular constituency and that his role in the state polls is a “mixed bag”.

In an interview with news agency PTI, Tharoor said he was looking forward to going “up and down the length and breadth of the state” to campaign – effectively shifting the narrative from him being a claimant of power, to positioning himself as a unifying figure and the engine of the campaign.

Tharoor is also seen as being in the good books of the central government, setting him apart from many ordinary Congress members. Last year, he was among those leaders who were sent abroad on delegations to raise awareness about India’s Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s terror financing regime.

While being part of the Operation Sindoor delegation was not the only evidence of his being in the good books of the NDA-led Center as there were several other opposition leaders who were selected for the same, Tharoor’s no-holds-barred praise for the Central government as he felt the need to do so and the Congress distancing itself from those statements often made him hit the headlines.

His bold stance on issues, his tendency to be a bit rebellious when it comes to expressing appreciation for something, even if it is by his Congress rival BJP, his sharp English, his witty remarks, and his viral speeches, make him a favorite among the youth – a factor that could come in handy for the Congress-UDF (United Democratic Front) alliance that hopes to remove the LDF (Left Democratic Front) from power in these elections.

His take on democracy, freedom of expression, education, pluralism, and women’s safety is in keeping with more progressive and globally conscious mindsets.

His vocabulary (which he himself humorously admits is very advanced), his witty comebacks, his signature hair flips, and his charismatic social media presence have made him a meme icon. His speeches in international pulpits tearing down colonialism are also well known.

He also sharpened the tone of the opposition by calling the election a “decisive challenge”, arguing that Congress must prevent the LDF from repeating its historic successive victory in 2021.

At the same time, Tharoor focused on issues such as candidate selection and gender representation, suggesting an attempt to balance electoral pragmatism with reformist positions.

The appearance of his election campaign – his rhetorical and media presence; Amplifying his reconciliation with the state leadership and attracting voter outreach among educated, urban and undecided voters makes a great cocktail for the United Democratic Front to build on to appeal to the people of Kerala.

However, Tharoor’s role also has clear limitations. Without contesting a seat or emerging as prime minister, his influence remains indirect. The electoral battle will still depend largely on local candidates, opposition to incumbency against local defense forces, and organizational strength on the ground.

While Shashi Tharoor may be too cool to be the face of power in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, he is emerging as a key architect of the Congress campaign in the state with the highest literacy rate.