New Delhi, April 9 – Congress MP Shashi Tharoor stated on Thursday that the BJP-led NDA has "no credibility" in Kerala, describing it as a "zero-seat party," even as voting began across the state with a promising turnout.
"I certainly don't believe that the NDA is a zero-seat party in Kerala. It has no credibility when it comes to any issue of government formation. There are barely two seats out of 140 where they are even considered as viable contenders," Tharoor said.
He expressed satisfaction over the early voter turnout, calling it a positive sign for democracy. "So I came to vote today in my usual booth, and I'm very pleased to see that we have had a very good turnout. This looks like an election where Kerala voters are coming out in large numbers to vote, and that's a very good sign. It means that the people of Kerala are not leaving it to the political activists and cadres to come and decide…" he said.
Highlighting the electoral prospects of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), Tharoor added, "Last time, we had an opportunity to run the government in 2011, and the people gave us a very, very narrow majority. This time, I'm hoping for a better number, a more comfortable basis for our government to make a real difference."
He also dismissed the NDA's presence in the state, saying, "I've been traveling through the state. I haven't seen very many signs at all of any credible NDA presence. In a couple of constituencies out of 140, people say they have a chance; they're viable. But these are all three-cornered fights where the UDF, LDF, and NDA are all competing. So, I would not at all assume that the NDA would have any chance, even of guaranteed victory, anywhere."
Polling is underway across all 140 constituencies in Kerala, with voters turning out in significant numbers, making it one of the most closely-watched elections in the state in recent years.
Meanwhile, Tharoor also commented on the Women's Reservation Bill. He reiterated the Congress party's stance: "We are the ones who initiated it. It was actually Sonia Gandhi who introduced the first Women's Reservation Bill during the UPA government. So, we want women's reservation – the question is what is the mechanism, what is the change they want to bring? We have seen media rumours; we have not seen the Bill."