Chandrasekhar, speaking to local media during the poll campaign, stated, "I am ready to debate [with Shashi Tharoor] over ideas, development, and whose track record is better. I have been saying this since the beginning".

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Tharoor, in response, accepted the "challenge" for an open debate, saying that voters in the constituency know who has been avoiding a debate.  

"Yes, I welcome a debate. But the people of Thiruvananthapuram are aware of who has been evading a debate till now. Let us debate politics and development," Shashi Tharoor wrote in a post on X.

He continued: "Let us debate price hike, unemployment, corruption, communalism, and the BJP's 10 years of propagating politics of hatred. Let us also discuss about the development of Thiruvananthapuram and the visible progress we have made in last 15 years." 

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A fierce election campaign has been going on in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency since both parties view it as a contest for prestige. Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Information Technology and Skill Development and a sitting Rajya Sabha MP is running for the Lok Sabha for the first time.

The Union Minister's selection for the Thiruvananthapuram seat shows the BJP's focus on the southern states, where it was unable to achieve any real ground in 2019.

Kerala is set to vote to elect its 20 Lok Sabha MPs on April 26. Results will be declared on June 4.