In a surprising turn of events, veteran BJP leader O Rajagopal, who had earlier praised Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s consistent victories in Thiruvananthapuram, reversed his position, citing misinterpretation of his remarks. The BJP leader, speaking at a public event where Tharoor received an award from Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Sivakumar, initially acknowledged the challenge of defeating Tharoor in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Rajagopal, a former Union minister of state during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime, commended Tharoor’s ability to influence the electorate, expressing doubt about another candidate’s chances in Thiruvananthapuram anytime soon. This praise came on the heels of Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar inaugurating the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra in Thiruvananthapuram, where the BJP eyes an opportunity for victory in the upcoming elections.
Thiruvananthapuram parliamentary constituency holds strategic importance for the BJP, being the only seat in Kerala where the party secured a second-place finish in the last two Lok Sabha elections. In 2014, Rajagopal narrowly lost to Tharoor, receiving 32.32% of the votes compared to Tharoor’s 34.09%.
However, in a sudden about-face, Rajagopal later explained that, considering the changed political scenario and the performance of the Modi government, the chances of the BJP winning Thiruvananthapuram are high. He emphasized that his personal and political stand is firmly in favor of the BJP securing victory in the constituency this time, downplaying Tharoor’s significance.
