New Delhi: After a neck-and-neck fight, Congress incumbent MP Shashi Tharoor has won Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat against BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar for a record fourth term.
In the early trends, BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar was leading by over 20,000 votes. However, Tharoor later gained the lead, according to ECI data.
The Congress incumbent MP won the seat by a margin of over 16,077 votes.
Tharoor said that the BJP put up an enormous fight and described it as a super over condition.
"This is a blessing for the fourth time, and I will do my best to be worthy of that trust to serve them well. The world T20 is going on, but the super over was here. The BJP put up an enormous fight. One important message from Suresh Gopi in Thrissur is that his systematic outreach to minority communities. It is a very strong message to the BJP that a communal campaign won't go very far in Kerala," Tharoor said.
Also Read: https://www.thehawk.in/posts/pm-modi-wins-from-varanasi-defeats-congress'-ajay-rai-by-over-1.5-lakh-votesÂ
Rajeev Chandrasekhar expressed his disappointment over the loss but affirmed his commitment to the people of Thiruvananthapuram.
"It is disappointing given that we worked very hard. We ran a very positive campaign. 3.4 lakh people supported us, which is a record number. I believe we are on the right track. I am disappointed that I could not win. My commitment to Thiruvananthapuram and its people remains steadfast," Rajeev said.
Thiruvananthapuram went to the polls on April 26 and recorded a voter turnout of 66.46 per cent.
Congress leader Tharoor has maintained a winning streak from 2009 to 2019 in this seat.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP is ahead in 296 seats, while the INDIA bloc is leading in 228 seats, indicating a significant gain for the latter, according to the latest trends.
The Congress, which won merely 52 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, is currently leading in 98 seats, while the BJP is ahead in 241 seats.
—ANI