India's Congress Politician Shashi Tharoor Opts Out of Gujarat Campaign

Called the "wizard of words" for his command of English, Tharoor is among the most popular politicians in India's main opposition party, Congress. However, relations between Tharoor and the political organization appear to have hit a rough patch.

Indian National Congress parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday confirmed that he won't participate in the party's campaign for the Gujarat assembly polls that are scheduled to take place next month.

Tharoor, the Congress MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram constituency, decided against addressing public rallies in Gujarat after he was not included in the party's list of star campaigners for the state.

Tharoor was recently approached by the National Student Union of India (NSUI), the Congress' student wing, to take part in the Gujarat campaign, but declined the offer since he didn't feature in the party's list of campaigners.

"I am sure the Congress party knows who or what might be effective in their campaigns. So disappointment is irrelevant. I was asked by the National Student Union of India (NSUI) to address a campaign event for them but had to decline since I am not on the list," Tharoor told local media confirming the development.

Though the Congress has officially dismissed reports of "sidelining" Tharoor, relations between the two appear to be in a downward spiral after he accused the organization of a bias in last month's elections for the post of party chief.

Tharoor was one of the two candidates in the Congress' presidential polls, but, as expected, lost to Mallikarjun Kharge, who enjoys the support of the all-powerful Gandhis, including former bosses Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.

In Gujarat, the Congress campaign has remained largely subdued: the party's top draws -- the Gandhi family members and new party chief Mallikarjun Kharge -- have so far stayed away from the state.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and federal Home Minister Amit Shah have been campaigning extensively for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in Gujarat, which is also the home state of the Indian prime minister. The BJP has been in power there for the last 27 years and is looking for a seventh straight term.

Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a mega blitz in Gujarat and its top leaders have made multiple visits to canvass for party candidates there.

The polls to elect a new state assembly in Gujarat will take place in two phases on December 1st and 5th with results due on December 8th.