Ashhar Alam | New Delhi

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s absence from a key party strategy meeting on the Kerala Assembly polls has sparked political chatter, even as the party maintains that there is no discord between him and the central leadership.

Tharoor skipped the meeting on Friday citing a prior commitment at the Kerala Literature Festival, where he was scheduled to speak on his latest book Sree Narayana Guru. According to sources in his office, the Congress leadership had been informed in advance about his engagement in Kozhikode.

The development, however, comes close on the heels of an awkward moment at the Congress “Mahapanchayat” in Kochi on January 19, where Tharoor was reportedly overlooked while addressing the gathering as Rahul Gandhi arrived at the venue. While Gandhi greeted several leaders on stage, Tharoor was not directly acknowledged, triggering speculation that the Thiruvananthapuram MP felt slighted by the episode.

Congress leaders have moved quickly to dismiss any suggestion of internal friction. Party representatives said Tharoor’s absence from the meeting should not be read as political messaging, stressing that he regularly attends the literature festival and that the engagement had been communicated well in advance.

“Dr Tharoor was in Calicut for the Kerala Literature Festival, Asia’s biggest literary festival. He was speaking on his book and had already informed the party,” a statement from his office said.

Party leaders also pointed out that Tharoor attended a public event in Thiruvananthapuram where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated multiple Vande Bharat trains, underscoring that his travel within the state was linked to prior commitments rather than political distancing.

The AICC meeting in Delhi was attended by several senior leaders, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Deepa Dasmunshi and Meira Kumar. Congress leaders reiterated that there is “no difference of opinion” between Tharoor and the high command.

Kerala Congress working president Shafi Parambil said the focus remains on election strategy. “This is not about him skipping a meeting. It is an important literary event he attends every year. What matters is the party’s pathway ahead,” he said.

AICC general secretary Deepa Dasmunshi echoed the sentiment, saying Tharoor’s priority remains the Congress. “He was just at an event with Rahul Gandhi. There is no issue at all,” she said, firmly rejecting claims that Tharoor is unhappy with the leadership.

Veteran leader Ramesh Chennithala also dismissed reports of friction, reiterating that Tharoor could not attend due to a pre-scheduled literary commitment.

Tharoor, who serves as the working president of the Kerala Congress, has skipped AICC meetings in the past as well. He had earlier faced criticism within the party over his participation in a multi-party foreign delegation following the Pahalgam terror attack, a move some leaders viewed as controversial since several senior Congress figures were not part of that outreach.

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With the Kerala Assembly polls expected before May 2026, political activity in the state has intensified. A high-stakes triangular contest is shaping up between the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, as both the UDF and NDA look to unseat the LDF, which has been in power for nearly a decade.