Shashi Tharoor hot in demand in UDF camp

 

Though he has been asked to campaign for only one candidate in each district, local leaders arrange more, leaving him high and dry.

 

Currently, the leading campaigners from Congress are Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, PCC chief V. M. Sudheeran and home minister Ramesh Chennithala.

 

Senior Congress leader A. K. Antony, who is considered to be the leading star campaigner, is expected to hit the campaign trail on Oct 27 and continue until Nov 1.

 

He will campaign in Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kozhikode, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.

 

But what has caught the Congress leaders by surprise was the way in which local people, as well as candidates, thronged meetings of Mr Tharoor, who was not very familiar beyond the state capital.

 

"On Saturday, Mr Tharoor was supposed to reach Kayamkulam Market Junction by 12 pm. He was late by more than two hours as he was on a campaign trail in Kollam where he was forced to attend four conventions. Kollam DCC vice-president Sooraj Ravi informed Mr. Tharoor that if he were not attending the meetings, he would have to visit the ICU ward as already the candidates had come out with posters announcing his arrival!" a Congress leader told DC.

 

Incidentally, Mr Tharoor got late to reach Fort Kochi where a family function was being held.

 

In another campaign at Kalippankulam near Manacaud ward in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, RSP candidate M. S. Sobitha arranged an open campaign vehicle much to the horror of other UDF candidates.

 

Though Tharoor was reluctant at first to board the vehicle, he did not want to disappoint the candidate, and the campaigning went on for more than two hours.

 

He told Deccan Chronicle that the campaigning experience out of Thiruvananthapuram district had been fascinating. KPCC leadership has decided to cash in on his popularity in the coming days.