Thiruvananthapuram: Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram and one of the most prominent faces in Indian politics, Shashi Tharoor, was not present when
V D Satheesan took oath as the chief minister of Keralam along with his cabinet on Monday.
The others who were sworn in included senior Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala, Sunny Joseph, K Muraleedharan and others. MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was present at the event.
Tharoor could not attend the event as he was in the United States over the weekend to deliver an address at his alma mater, the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, as reported by Hindustan Times.
He would not be able to attend the ceremony because of a prior commitment, the Congress MP had informed on Friday, May 15.
“I’m sorry to be missing the swearing-in ceremony of my @incKerala colleague and new CM of Kerala @vdsatheesan. I am in Boston this weekend to deliver the Commencement address at the graduation ceremony of my al
ma mater, the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at @TuftsUniversity — and also to participate in the 50th anniversary reunion of my graduating class!” he had written in a post on X.
Tharoor called the 50th anniversary reunion of his graduating class “an occasion for celebrating the past in the US even as I look forward to the future in Kerala…”
While sharing a post about not being able to attend the swearing-in ceremony on Monday morning, Tharoor said he would be thinking of Satheesan on the occasion.
“Yes, will think of @vdsatheesan and my @INCKerala colleagues and UDF allies on this happy occasion!” he wrote.
It was a big day for the Congress party in Kerala on Monday, as its government, led by chief minister Satheesan, was sworn in. The party returned to power through the United Democratic Front after defeating the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front, which had been in power for the last two terms.
In a clear sweep, the UDF won 102 of the 140 seats in the Keralam Legislative Assembly.
Satheesan was selected chief minister after weeks of speculation, deliberations and a tight power tussle between him and another senior Congress leader, K C Venugopal. The party high command chose the former to lead the state, citing the popularity he enjoys among UDF partners.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at Central Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.