Shashi Tharoor shares survey naming him most preferred CM candidate in Kerala
Tharoor wasted no time in sharing the survey results on his X handle on Wednesday.
The post -- seemingly shared by a supporter -- was also tagged to senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal, Priyanka Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan.
The fan's post read, '@shashtharoor emerges as the best bet for chief ministerial choice for the 2026 Kerala polls for a faction-ridden UDF alliance, a recent survey reveals.'
While top Congress leaders in the state have so far refrained from commenting on the development, the newly appointed Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Sunny Joseph, sought to downplay it.
He said that in Congress, leadership decisions are made only after the election results. There is a process for it.
It is widely known in party circles that Tharoor's ties with the Congress central leadership have been strained since he decided to contest the party presidential election against Mallikarjun Kharge.
The tension escalated further when his name was excluded from the list of Congress leaders recommended for the Union government's Operation Sindoor outreach.
However, in a notable turn, Prime Minister Narendra Modi later invited Tharoor to lead a delegation to the US and other countries.
On his return, Tharoor acknowledged differences with the party leadership but said he was open to a dialogue if asked.
A four-time MP from Thiruvananthapuram since 2009, Tharoor topped the VoteVibe pre-poll survey with 28.3 per cent support among voters in the state. However, the survey also flagged a leadership vacuum within the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF), with 27.1 per cent of voters remaining undecided on the alliance's face.
The crisis of leadership appears even starker within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF). Former Health Minister K.K. Shailaja emerged as the most preferred leader with 24.2 per cent support, while incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lagged behind at 17.5 per cent.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
29 minutes ago
- United News of India
Lt Gen Ghai calls J&K Lt Governor, discusses security situation
North Srinagar, July 25 (UNI) Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) and Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai today called on J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, an official spokesman said. The two discussed the prevailing security scenario in Jammu Kashmir. Last month Lt General Ghai, the face of the army during Operation Sindoor, was promoted as deputy chief of Army. In the past, he has served as the 15 Corps Commander headquartered at Srinagar. UNI MJR ARN
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Rahul looks back at where he faltered: Didn't protect OBCs because I couldn't understand their issues at the time
A day after he said that the Congress 'fell short' of understanding issues faced by the OBCs and that 'opened up the space' for the BJP, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that he didn't protect the OBC community's interests earlier in his political career as the issues faced by them are complex and not easily visible. Addressing a Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan of OBCs at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, Gandhi said that while he should score well on issues related to Tribals, Dalits, minorities and women, he couldn't understand the problems of OBCs and admitted that he didn't do enough for the community. He also said that he will be working 'double' on this front from now on. 'Since 2004, I have been in politics. Twenty-one years have passed. When I look back, and in a way, analyse myself – where I did the right thing and where I lacked – I see a couple of big issues. I worked on the Land Acquisition Bill, MGNREGA, Right to Food, Tribal Bill… These things I did well. I feel I should get good marks on issues of Tribals, Dalits, minorities, women… When I look back, I see one thing clearly. I lacked on one thing, made a mistake – what was it? The Congress and I made a mistake. I should have protected the OBC section; I didn't. The reason for this was that I didn't understand your issues at the time,' he said. Gandhi said that around a decade ago, he 'could see the problems faced by Dalits' – 'it was clear and I understood it'. 'Untouchability is their history,' he said. Talking of Tribals, Gandhi said, 'It is easy to understand issues of Tribals – jungle (forest), jal (water), zameen (land) are right there for you to see.' 'But the OBC issues are hidden, and not easy to see. My regret is that if I knew your history and issues, I would have got the caste census done then. And it is my mistake and not the Congress's. The good thing is that if I had got the caste census done then, it wouldn't have been as good as it will be now,' he said. Gandhi said that the Telangana caste survey is like a 'tsunami' and that its 'aftershock' will be felt soon. 'The way the tsunami came… The earthquake that led to the tsunami wasn't seen. It was under the sea… When the tsunami came, its impact was felt 2-3 hours later. The same has happened in Telangana,' he said.
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
GST's identity crisis: One nation, multiple headaches
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Rajesh Sodhi still remembers the night of June 30, 2017. The Ludhiana-based textile manufacturer had stayed up past midnight, watching Parliament TV as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was announced. 'One Nation, One Tax' was the clarion call. It sounded like music to his years on, Sodhi's enthusiasm has morphed into frustration. His factory now employs three accountants just to handle GST compliance . "We were promised simplicity," he says. "Instead, we got something more complicated than what we had before."Sodhi's story isn't unique. Across India, individuals and corporates alike are grappling with a tax framework that seems to have developed a mind of its complexity starts with the basics. Instead of 'One Tax', today's GST comes with five different tax rates: 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%. Add in numerous exemptions, differential rates for services, and sector-specific rules, and you have a system that's making the old tax regime look something as basic as determining which rate applies to popcorn, which is still a hot-button issue months after the December 2024 GST Council meeting. Is it taxed at 5%, 12%, or 18%? The answer depends on factors so nuanced that even tax lawyers disagree, but the lowdown is: it's 5% if sold loose (such as in a movie theatre), 12% if packaged and savoury-flavoured, and 18% if caramelised. But if your popcorn comes bundled with your movie ticket, the GST would be 18% because this would be treated as a composite such as these have prompted entrepreneurs and companies, regardless of industry, to reclassify their products and services after routine audits, resulting in demands for additional tax ranging from lakhs to crores of rupees."There has to be a philosophy to taxation that informs decision-making. GST is far from the good and simple tax it was supposed to be," says former Finance Minister (FM) Yashwant Sinha. "When I was FM, I rationalised the multiple central excise rates down to three. GST has a rate multiplicity problem. It's creating classification, implementation, and filing issues. The slabs must be reduced— ideally to one."The digitalisation of the Indian economy has revealed another vital limitation in the implementation of GST. App-based services, digital payments, and e-commerce platforms have created a whole new category of tax disputes that the system wasn't designed to Karnataka, vendors are protesting after having received GST notices for UPI-based transactions exceeding ₹40 lakh a year. They are currently demanding that the state revoke such notices, and that enforcement of such rules be relaxed for small-scale consider fintech entrepreneurs whose lending platforms are embroiled in disputes over whether algorithmic credit scoring should be taxed as a software solution or a financial service, a distinction that could mean the difference between 0% and 18% tax rates. Software as a Service (SaaS) companies are unclear and thus unable to determine whether they're selling goods or services. There's confusion over e-commerce platforms' marketplace versus inventory models, and skill-based online gaming companies are still contending with the massive retrospective demands rising from the hike from 18% to 28%, on par with chance-based activities such as gambling and there's the 'luxury' classification. As Aarin Capital Chairman and former Infosys executive Mohandas Pai puts it:"Air conditioners and TVs larger than 32 inches are taxed at 28%, but these aren't luxury items. They're mass goods today. Two-wheelers and sedans are also not considered luxury goods in 2025. Cement, which is critical for building India, also falls in the 28% bracket. The number of slabs should be reduced, and classifications revised."A concern on GST's complexity is the volume of disputes it has generated. There were significant judgments pertaining to GST in 2024, rendered by High Courts across the nation. And 2025 is even busier, as evidenced by recent multinational corporations across sectors have taken the international arbitration route to seek relief from retrospective tax claims. Several disputes are ongoing. Two, online real money gaming platforms are challenging retrospective GST notices amounting to ₹1.12 lakh crore, which exceed the industry's turnover of approximately ₹20,000 crore. The Supreme Court heard their arguments on July 15 and has scheduled its final hearing for July 25. Three, food delivery aggregators are wondering whether delivery charges attract 5% or 18% GST, which could further dent make or break their razor-thin margins. Four, airlines and shipping companies were mired in compliance issues around 'place of supply rules' that confused rather than clarified. Lastly, life and health insurance companies contended with 18% GST, a move that was passed on to already-burdened cases highlight that retrospective tax actions, especially those related to indirect taxes like GST, may impact not only compliance but also business overall "pay first, argue later" approach is also a hurdle for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which have minimal resources, including cash flows, to sustain specialised tax compliance teams. And the paperwork doesn't help. This includes mandatory multi-factor authentication for GST portal access and restrictions on E-Way Bill (EWB) generation to curb fraudulent practices, which have added yet another layer of complexity to daily operations. As Rajesh Sodhi, the entrepreneur from Ludhiana, says:'Tax refund delays are my biggest problem. I'm spending most of my time on GST-related tasks. I became a businessman to sell hosiery and other textiles, not to become a tax expert. But that's what this system has forced me to become."Although India's foreign direct investment (FDI) performance has shown resilience, recent data indicates moderation in investment momentum. In FY25, net FDI inflows dropped to a record 96.5%, as reported by The Economic Times. This has everything to do with investors exiting lucrative IPOs here and Indian firms ramping up overseas investments. But here's something to consider: the retrospective application of tax laws also undermines the principle of legal certainty, which is critical for investor confidence. Such enforcement imposes additional due diligence requirements and risk assessment protocols on foreign investors, particularly in sectors with complex supply chains and cross-border Financial Times reported that disputed tax demands, totalling around ₹13.4 lakh crore (as of March 2024), may have contributed to the decrease in net FDI inflows. Automaker Volkswagen is contesting a tax demand of approximately ₹12,000 crore related to import duties stemming from a 12-year investigation. Similarly, Maruti Suzuki (~₹20,000 crore) and Hyundai (~₹4,000 crore) are also among the top companies. Such prolonged battles and uncertainty surrounding tax obligations could raise concerns among investors about the predictability of India's tax are signs that policymakers are finally acknowledging pain points. Owing to Budget 2025, enterprises can expect some GST rate rationalisation in the 56th GST Council meeting, to be held later this month. Two major measures reportedly being considered are the elimination of the 12% slab and the abolition of GST altogether for term for businesses like Sodhi's, the question isn't whether reforms will come. It's whether they'll arrive soon enough. After eight years of promises and patches, India's entrepreneurs are running out of patience with the great tax answer, it seems, is written in the stars… or perhaps in the next GST Council meeting.
