Congress Working Committee member and four-time MP Shashi Tharoor has said he will stick to the party line as Kerala gears up for the Assembly elections, even as speculation continues over his strained relationship with the party leadership.

Speaking to reporters in Wayanad on Monday on the sidelines of the two-day Lakshya Leadership summit — the Congress’s preparatory camp ahead of the Assembly polls — Tharoor said he had remained loyal to the party throughout his 17-year-long political career.

"I've never strayed from the party line. There is no need for misunderstanding. I will be actively campaigning for the UDF candidates in Kerala during the imminent Assembly polls. During the 2021 Assembly elections, I’d actively campaigned for 59 candidates. This time, I guess I will be campaigning for more leaders," said Tharoor.

Tharoor’s remarks came amid heightened attention following his comments a day earlier on the BJP’s takeover of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Council in the recent local body elections, a setback in his own parliamentary constituency. His remarks had sparked speculation about whether he would raise uncomfortable questions at the party forum.

According to a Congress leader, Tharoor had initially expressed interest in addressing certain issues within the party at the summit but chose restraint.