Shashi Tharoor received 28.3% of the vote in the Votewibe survey. He became the first choice for the Kerala CM post. K.K. Shailaja was the most popular leader in the LDF.
Shashi Tharoor: In a recent survey conducted by the Mumbai-based research agency Votewibe, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram has been declared the public's first choice for the Chief Minister of Kerala. According to this survey, Tharoor received the support of 28.3 percent of the voters. This survey comes at a time when reports of differences between Shashi Tharoor and the Congress high command are surfacing.
Tharoor himself shared the survey
Tharoor himself shared this poll on his X (formerly Twitter) account. The survey clearly indicates his popularity. This poll is also being analyzed in the context of factionalism within the Congress, where it is being said that if the Congress wants to perform better in the 2026 assembly elections, a face like Tharoor needs to be brought forward.
Party worker tagged Rahul Gandhi
Regarding this survey, a Congress supporter made a post on X tagging Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal, and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan. The post claimed that Shashi Tharoor is the most suitable Chief Ministerial candidate for the Congress in Kerala in the current political situation. The post also stated that the uncertainty within the UDF regarding leadership could be resolved by Tharoor's candidacy.
Tharoor leads in the survey, Shailaja is the LDF's choice
The Votewibe survey also found that 27.1 percent of voters are uncertain about the UDF's leadership. This clearly means that the Congress-led UDF currently has no clear face, which could go in favor of Tharoor. On the other hand, former Health Minister K.K. Shailaja received the most support, with 24.2 percent, in the LDF camp. The current Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan received the support of only 17.5 percent of the people.
Congress leadership gave a measured response
After the survey report came out, the newly appointed president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Sunny Joseph, tried to downplay Tharoor's popularity. He said that the Congress party chooses its leadership through a set procedure after the elections and that it would be premature to make any decision on this subject at the moment.
Congress High Command
It is worth noting that Tharoor contested the Congress presidential election against Mallikarjun Kharge last year, after which it is believed that his relations with the top leadership of the party are not normal. Recently, Tharoor's name was removed from the list of the central government's 'Operation Sindoor' outreach initiative, which further deepened the controversy.
