'One Kerala Story communalists should note': Tharoor on poll results

Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has hailed the Kerala Assembly election results as a powerful rejection of communal politics, pointing to a series of victories across the state where voters ignored religious arithmetic and backed candidates from minority communities in constituencies dominated by other faith groups.

In a strongly worded Facebook post reacting to the election outcome, Tharoor highlighted the victories in Tavanur, Kalamassery and Kochi as examples of Kerala’s continuing commitment to secular politics despite what he described as growing national attempts to deepen communal divisions.

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, PTI reported.

"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.

Christian candidate V.S. Joy won from the Muslim-majority Tavanur, while Muslim candidate V.E. Abdul Gafoor emerged victorious from the Hindu-majority Kalamassery. In Kochi, where nearly 45 per cent of voters belong to the Latin Catholic community and electoral contests have traditionally favoured candidates from the same community, Congress candidate Mohammed Shiyas secured a major victory despite Muslims accounting for only around 18 per cent of the constituency’s population.

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.

The results have dealt a blow to repeated political claims that candidates can win only if they belong to the dominant community in a constituency. Tharoor argued that Kerala voters once again prioritised democratic values and individual candidates over caste and religion, standing apart from the increasingly polarised political climate seen in several parts of the country.

The defeat of former minister K.T. Jaleel in Tavanur was seen as particularly symbolic, with voters rallying behind V.S. Joy despite his community having almost no demographic presence in the constituency. In Thiruvambady too, candidate C.K. Kasim disrupted traditional community equations, while in Thrikkarippur, voters backed Sandeep Warrier despite concerns over his past association with the Sangh Parivar, signalling a broader rejection of rigid communal voting patterns.