Shashi Tharoor took to social media to talk about ‘One Kerala Story’ after the recent Assembly elections, terming the state a ‘model of communal harmony.’ In his post, he turned his attention to the recent polls where Congress-led UDF came to power, unseating the Left from its last bastion in the country.
Tharoor wrote: “One Kerala Story from the recent election results that communalists should note: a Muslim majority constituency, Thanvanur, elected a Christian, VS Joy; a Hindu majority constituency, Kalamassery, elected a Muslim, Muhammed Shiyas.”
One #KeralaStory from the recent election results that communalists should note: a Muslim majority constituency, Thavanur, elected a Christian, VS Joy; a Hindu majority constituency, Kalamassery, elected a Muslim. VE Abdul Gafoor; and a Christian majority constituency, Kochi,…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 6, 2026
This showed that “Kerala remains a model of communal harmony,” Tharoor said, calling it “a state where people see human beings first and caste or religion later”.
Polling for the Kerala Legislative Assembly election was held across Kerala on April 9. On May 4, the state witnessed the return of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) to power after a decade.
The 2026 election result also marks the first time in nearly 50 years that no Communist-led government is in power in any Indian state.
Kerala has traditionally witnessed alternating governments between the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF.
However, beyond the political rivalry, Kerala is often noted for the way its electorate actively participates in the democratic process and collectively engages in choosing its government.
Kerala Story
The Kerala Story films have been criticised for their portrayal of a particular community and the eponymous state in a negative light.
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During the controversy surrounding the first film, Shashi Tharoor had described it as a ‘hate-mongering film’ and questioned the accuracy of the narrative presented in the film.
“If a case occurs here and there, it doesn’t mean you should turn it into a big story and use it as propaganda. What’s the point of saying things that will only spread hatred in people’s minds, and that too about things which are not even correct? I don’t think such things should happen,” Tharoor had said.
Kerala’s then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also criticised the trailer of The Kerala Story 2, calling it a continuation of a “communal agenda” that seeks to demonise the state’s secular and harmonious communities.
The ‘One’ Kerala Story
Taking on from what Tharoor wrote, the Kerala elections saw the following: In Kalamassery constituency in Ernakulam, which has a Hindu majority electorate, Advocate. V E Abdul Gafoor of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) won by a margin of 16,312 votes.
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Gafoor secured 80,606 votes, followed by CPI(M)’s P Rajeeve with 64,295 votes.
Similarly, in the Christian-majority Kochi constituency in Ernakulam, Congress candidate Mohammed Shiyas won by a margin of 8,188.
K J Maxy of the CPI(M) finished second with 56,130 votes, while Shiyas secured 64,318 votes.
In Hindu-majority Thavanur constituency, Advocate V S Joy won the election by securing a total of 79,661 votes.
