Shashi Tharoor to skip Congress strategy meet as internal cracks resurface

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor will skip a key party meeting ahead of the Kerala assembly elections, the Times of India reported, a decision that has triggered a sharp public swipe from within his own party and exposed fresh strains in the opposition ranks.

Senior Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Wednesday questioned Tharoor’s relevance, dismissing the MP’s absence by saying that “relevant people” would be attending the meeting. The remark, widely seen as a personal dig, has added to the perception of simmering internal discord as the party prepares for a crucial electoral battle.

Tharoor, a four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram and one of Congress’s most recognisable national faces, has in recent months appeared increasingly distant from the party’s central leadership, fuelling speculation about his role and future within the organisation.


Dikshit’s comments underline a broader unease within Congress over leadership, messaging and discipline at a time when the party is seeking to consolidate its position ahead of state elections and sharpen its challenge to the BJP nationally.

Sources close to PTI said Tharoor’s decision to stay away stems from deepening frustration with the party leadership, particularly over what he views as repeated attempts by state leaders to sideline him. According to sources, the tipping point was Rahul Gandhi not acknowledging Tharoor’s presence at the ‘Maha Panchayath’ event in Kochi on January 19, held to felicitate local body poll winners.

While Gandhi acknowledged several senior leaders on the stage by name, he did not mention Tharoor — a four-time MP and one of the three Congress Working Committee members from Kerala — despite his presence on the dais, the sources said.

Tharoor’s office, however, said he had informed the party of his inability to attend the meeting due to prior commitments at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode. Sources close to him maintained that he was nonetheless deeply upset over the treatment meted out to him, especially after differences were believed to have been ironed out at meetings held in Wayanad on the sidelines of the Kerala Congress leadership camp to prepare for the 2026 assembly polls.

The Congress has not issued an official response to Dikshit’s remarks or to Tharoor’s decision to skip the meeting.