Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has announced that he will not attend the oath-taking ceremony of Kerala's newly designated Chief Minister, VD Satheesan, scheduled for May 18. Tharoor revealed on Friday via his X handle that he will be in Boston, United States, to deliver the commencement address at the graduation ceremony of his alma mater, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Tharoor's Statement
In his post, Tharoor expressed regret for missing the event, stating, "I'm sorry to be missing the swearing-in ceremony of my Congress Kerala colleague and new CM of Kerala VD Satheesan. I am in Boston this weekend to deliver the Commencement address at the graduation ceremony of my alma mater, the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University and also to participate in the 50th anniversary reunion of my graduating class! An occasion for celebrating the past in the US even as I look forward to the future in Kerala."
Background on VD Satheesan
VD Satheesan was nominated as Chief Minister on Thursday, a week after the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a decisive victory in the Kerala assembly elections, ending the second consecutive term of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by Pinarayi Vijayan. The decision was finalized by the Congress leadership after discussions within the party's top brass, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi.
Satheesan won the 2026 Kerala assembly election from the Paravur constituency, marking his sixth consecutive term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). He secured 78,658 votes and defeated CPI candidate E T Taison Master by a margin of 20,600 votes. Satheesan has represented Paravur for 25 years, having first won the seat in 2001.
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