Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha Election Results 2024 LIVE: Shashi Tharoor declared winner over Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha election results 2024: Will Thiruvananthapuram be an upset for Congress? As per early trends, a tough fight is ensuing between BJP candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The seat went to the polls in the second phase on April 26.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM LOK SABHA ELECTION RESULT LATEST UPDATE:

• THIRUVANANTHAPURAM SEAT DECLARED: Shashi Tharoor declared winner with a margin of 16,077 votes over Chandrasekhar. Chandrasekhar said that while he is disappointed with the outcome, he welcomes it, and remains committed to the city. 
• Shashi Tharoor, who has a lead of 15,879 votes, is expected to win the seat over Chandrasekhar
• Tharoor ahead with over 15,000 votes over Chandrasekhar
• Shashi Tharoor leading with over 11,000 votes over Chandrasekhar
• Chandrasekhar yet to catch up with Tharoor as vote difference is only 5,905 votes
• In yet another twist, Tharoor takes the lead over Chandrasekar with 4,663 votes
• Chandrasekhar continues his lead with a margin of 16,797 votes over Tharoor
• Rajeev Chandrasekhar takes fresh lead over Shashi Tharoor
• Shashi Tharoor's lead consolidated over Chandrasekhar
• Shashi Tharoor leading over Chandrasekhar now. 
• Rajeev Chandrasekhar has taken an early lead over Shashi Tharoor.

Traditionally held by Congress and Left, this high-profile seat is seeing a fight between two big guns - Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and Union Minister and BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The Communist Party of India, which has held this seat in the past, has fielded Pannyan Raveendran. Raveendran represented this seat from 2005 to 2009.

India Today-Axis My India's exit polls have predicted a close contest between Shashi Tharoor and Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Thiruvananthapuram. The saffron party is likely to open its account and win 2-3 seats in Kerala, according to the polls. 

In the last two elections, the BJP came second but could not win the seat. This time, the saffron party has made its best attempt to win the Thiruvananthapuram seat by fielding Chandrasekhar, a technocrat-turned-politician. In the run-up to elections, the Congress completely relied on the influence of Tharoor among the cross-section of society to retain the seat, the BJP hoped that its minister would win the hearts of the people, ensuring the overall development of the constituency where the party finished second in the previous two elections.

The BJP secured over 31 per cent of votes in 2019 and 32 per cent of votes in 2014. In 2014, the saffron party lost the seat by about 15,000 votes. Both times Tharoor emerged victorious, winning the seat for Congress. This time, he wants to clinch a hat-trick despite the tough challenge posed by Chandrasekhar.  

The CPI(M)-led LDF banked on the simple and easily accessible image of Pannian, as he is popularly known in Kerala. 

During the campaign, Tharoor raised issues such as unemployment, inflation, and democracy. He urged the students, most of them first-time voters, to exercise their franchise cautiously. "This is a fight to safeguard India's secular spirit and democracy. So you should vote with great caution," he said in one of his speeches. 

Rajeev Chandrasekhar said he was fully confident that the people of Thiruvananthapuram were longing for a change. "They want to be a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development concept," he had said, adding that he was not distracted by the narratives of the opposition but was focused on Modi's mission of development.

"The people of Thiruvananthapuram know that in the last 15 years, the required amount of development has not come to Thiruvananthapuram, and they know how Modi has transformed India in the last 10 years," he said.

Chandrasekhar said the opposition had always been trying to distract the people away from the main topic of the election, "which is development and who is more suitable for that". "They do not want to discuss what they did during their rule. CPI(M) does not want to discuss what they had done in the last eight years of their rule; instead, they are creating insecurities in some communities and distracting them by discussing everything other than the main topic of the election," he alleged.

LDF's Pannian Raveendran concentrated more on the rural parts of the constituency during his campaign, with occasional programmes in the city. The LDF has a stronger vote bank in rural areas. "A clear picture in favour of LDF is emerging in Thiruvananthapuram, and I am getting input in favour of LDF when I meet the voters. There is no rural-urban divide here for the LDF to win the support of people," Pannian had told PTI.