Kerala elections: Vote for BJP is a wasted vote, says Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor urged Kerala voters to support the UDF, calling a BJP vote 'wasted' as the real fight is between the UDF and LDF. He also lauded the UK court's decision to reject fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi's extradition appeal.

Tharoor on Kerala Elections

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday urged voters in Kerala to cast their ballots for the United Democratic Front (UDF), calling a vote for the BJP a "wasted vote." Tharoor emphasised that the real contest in Kerala is between the UDF and the LDF.

Speaking to ANI in Kollam, Tharoor said, "My focus is on the Kerala state election. My colleagues in Assam, Bengal, Tamil Nadu are all campaigning...In Kerala, people are looking for change. The BJP is not an irrelevant factor in the state...The real fight is between UDF and LDF. So a vote for BJP is a wasted vote...Vote for the UDF."

Kerala legislative assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23.

On Nirav Modi's Extradition

Further, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor welcomed the UK High Court's decision to reject Nirav Modi's bid to reopen his extradition appeal to India in connection with the over Rs 13,800 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) alleged fraud case. He emphasised that fugitives should not be allowed to seek refuge in foreign countries and must face justice in India.

"That's a good thing because fugitives from justice should not be able to seek refuge in foreign countries...Let them come if they're innocent, let them prove their innocence before an Indian court, Indian judge. I think that's only fair. But there are too many fugitives who have left our country and gone to other countries. If the US and UK justice systems send them back to India, so much the better for us," he told ANI.

The UK High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division, Divisional Court, on Wednesday delivered remotely, dismissed Nirav Modi's claims that new evidence of potential torture and ill-treatment in India necessitated a reconsideration of his extradition. Nirav Modi, accused in India of alleged money laundering, has been held in custody at the HMP Wandsworth since his arrest on March 19, 2019. His extradition was initially ordered by the UK Home Secretary in 2021. (ANI)

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