Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s recent message to party leaders to “dance together”, Tharoor described it as a “good message”, saying unity within the alliance is now visible. He also expressed confidence about the UDF’s prospects and suggested that a strong result would result in between 85 and 100 seats in the 140-member assembly.

Using a cricket analogy, Tharoor said the UDF was throwing a “googly” to the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), arguing that the ruling coalition was on a “sticky wicket”. While he acknowledged that modern elections revolve around projecting a chief ministerial face, he supported the traditional approach of the Congress. “The Congress has never done this,” he said, explaining that the leadership prefers to choose a leader in consultation with MLAs after victory.Tharoor also admitted that the lack of a clear face could cause harm. “You and I may have different viewpoints… having a situation where you don’t have a visible leader in the state will inevitably hurt you,” he said. However, he argued that the organizational strength of the Congress throughout Kerala allows it to campaign “around one agenda, one mission and party logo”.Tharoor also downplayed the role of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala, calling it a marginal player. “It is not a triangular contest because the BJP is a party with zero seats in the assembly,” he said, adding that even a gain of “one or two or three” seats would be seen as a major success for the party.He stressed that the real contest is between the UDF and the LDF led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. While he said the polling indicated a tight contest, he added that the BJP “is also unlikely to have enough of a footprint to become the kingmaker”.Kerala will go to polls in a single phase on April 9 in a closely monitored battle to oust the current LDF government from power, with counting taking place on May 4.