Tharoor cites Kerala poll results as example of communal harmony

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday cited the Kerala Assembly election results as an example of communal harmony, saying the State remained a place where voters looked beyond caste and religion.

In a social media post, Tharoor said the results offered a “Kerala story” that “communalists should note”, an apparent reference to the film The Kerala Story, which portrayed Kerala in a negative light through allegations of “love jihad” in the State.

“One #KeralaStory from the recent election results that communalists should note: a Muslim majority constituency, Thavanur, elected a Christian, VS Joy; a Hindu majority constituency, Kalamassery, elected a Muslim. VE Abdul Gafoor; and a Christian majority constituency, Kochi, elected a Muslim, Muhammed Shiyas,” he wrote.

Despite some influence from the national trends in favour of identity politics, Kerala remains a model of communal harmony, a State where people see human beings first and caste or religion later, the Thiruvananthapuram MP said.

Tharoor later posted a clarification after some social media users pointed out the absence of an example where a Muslim-majority constituency elected a Hindu candidate.

“I note that some have commented upon a “missing link” in my story, asking for evidence of a Muslim majority constituency electing a Hindu candidate. This has also just happened in Trikaripur, where Sandeep Varier won for the UDF. A fourth example to reinforce my #KeralaStory!” he said.

All the candidates mentioned by Tharoor were from the Congress-led UDF, with VE Abdul Gafoor representing the IUML, a key ally of the Congress in Kerala.

The UDF won the election with 102 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.