THE RIFT OF THE GAB

AS SHASHI THAROOR LOOKS TO MAKE IT FOUR IN A ROW FOR THE CONGRESS IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, THE BJP'S RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR COULD WELL SPRING A SURPRISE

- RAJ CHENGAPPA AND JEEMON JACOB 

FOR ONCE, SHASHI THAROOR IS ATA LOSS FOR WORDS. ASKED WHAT HE CALLS the burgundy red election vahanam (vehicle) he is perched precariously atop during a drive-through campaign rally in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, he pauses and then laughs. "It's a pick-up truck that gives me a chair and enough space for a couple of colleagues so that we can wave to the public as we drive by." It's hot and humid in Kerala's capital city and all that protects Tharoor from the sun and rain is a makeshift tarpaulin over his head and a compact airconditioner next to his perch. Having won three consecutive Lok Sabha elections for the Thiruvananthapuram constituency on a Congress ticket, Tharoor, 68, is a veteran at campaigning. He waves furiously to pedestrians, passing and stationary vehicles and curious shopkeepers, his face lighting up with a charming smile as the breeze tousles his silvery-grey mane. His pilot van has a band of percussionists belting out drum rolls to herald his arrival, while another van blasts songs in his praise on repeat. Unlike in 2019, when Tharoor breezed through his re-election to the seat with a high margin of votes, this time round, he is feeling the heat of the battle and is being made to toil harder.