As the Congress party prepares for the high-stakes Kerala assembly elections in just under a year, one name looms large and contentious within its ranks: Shashi Tharoor. Amidst the disarray and factionalism in the party, together with growing disenchantment amongst the United Democratic Front (UDF) partners, the question that is doing the rounds in Kerala is: Will the Congress project Tharoor as its chief ministerial candidate to halt the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) from securing an unprecedented third term?Tharoor, a globally recognised former UN diplomat and a prolific writer, embodies a unique paradox for the Congress in Kerala: he is simultaneously its biggest asset and its most controversial figure.His distinguished career at the UN, followed by his tenure as Minister of State for External Affairs under the UPA government, and his remarkable feat of four consecutive re-elections from Thiruvananthapuram, often with patchy support from the Congress establishment, underscore a political journey unlike any other. However, it is precisely this fiercely independent streak that has garnered him immense public adulation while simultaneously breeding antipathy within his own party.Tharoor’s path within the party has been fraught with cold shoulders and subtle marginalisation. He was a prominent member of the G-23, a group that advocated greater organisational accountability within the party following a string of electoral defeats. His decision to contest the Congress presidential election in 2022 against Mallikarjun Kharge, the Gandhi-backed candidate, further estranged him from the party’s inner circles.The latest flashpoint in the Tharoor-Congress saga erupted after the Modi government’s controversial move to appoint him as head of an all-party delegation to explain India’s position abroad following Operation Sindoor. Despite the Congress being asked to nominate its own representatives, it excluded Tharoor, only for the government to select him nonetheless.His briefings in New York, Guyana, and Panama drew acclaim from the government and media, yet his own party appeared embarrassed rather than proud. Congress insiders reportedly viewed his alignment with the government’s post-Pahalgam narrative as crossing an unacceptable line.At the same time, the political urgency for the Congress in Kerala cannot be overstated. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has suffered two consecutive defeats in the state assembly elections, a significant departure from Kerala’s historical pattern of alternating governments. Another defeat could spell irrelevance not only for the Congress but also for many of its allies, particularly the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a major UDF ally.Also read: What Could Be Shashi Tharoor’s Political Endgame?The IUML is increasingly apprehensive about losing its traditional base to the CPI(M) and has openly voiced its disapproval of Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan’s handling of P.V. Anvar, a controversial candidate in the Nilambur by-election, which is being closely watched as a precursor to the upcoming assembly elections. The recent appointment of the relatively lesser-known MLA Sunny Joseph as the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, replacing the more popular K. Sudhakaran, has only added to the party’s internal disarray.Projecting Tharoor as the Congress’s chief ministerial face could galvanise the youth, urban voters, minorities, and floating voters – demographics that have shown a tendency to drift away from the party in recent years.Furthermore, Tharoor has never exhibited any inclination to defect to the BJP, even when BJP leaders have extended an open invitation. His support for government action post-Pahalgam stems not from an ideological shift but from a principled conviction that national security should transcend partisan divides.A shrewd Congress leadership could easily reframe his occasional divergences as evidence of democratic pluralism within the party—a quality conspicuously absent in the BJP. If the Congress continues to marginalise Tharoor, it risks alienating not just a formidable leader but also the very voters it desperately needs to reclaim Kerala.Even the Congress’s allies may now begin to exert pressure. Parties like IUML, the second largest constituent of the UDF, cannot afford another electoral defeat. If Tharoor’s candidacy is perceived to be capable of significantly improving the UDF’s prospects, allies might bypass the Congress high command and offer him direct support. The Jose K. Mani-led Kerala Congress (M), currently an LDF partner, is also rumoured to be fence-sitting. The upcoming Nilambur by-election on June 19 could provide early indications of potential shifts in coalition dynamics.The Congress has historically prided itself on being a “big tent”—a broad coalition encompassing diverse regions, religions, classes, and ideologies. However, in recent years, this tent has visibly shrunk, often excluding those who do not strictly adhere to the high command’s directives. The shabby treatment meted out to Tharoor exposes a deeper malaise within the party: a tendency to misinterpret criticism as betrayal and initiative as insubordination.In projecting Tharoor as its CM face, the Congress has little to lose and everything to gain. Given the right role, he possesses the unique ability to steer the Congress back to power in Kerala. The alternative is a familiar story: another defeat, more infighting, and further drift into irrelevance.E.D. Mathew is a former UN spokesperson. He posts @edmathew on X.This piece was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire & Galileo Ideas – and has been updated and republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here.