Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Referring to the Congress Working Committee member Shashi Tharoor's social media post, sharing a survey suggesting he is the most preferred choice for chief minister among Congress-led UDF leaders in Kerala, senior party leader K Muraleedharan has taken a swipe at him, saying "he should first decide which party he belongs to".

"Even if someone else is leading in the survey, if the UDF comes to power in the 2026 Assembly polls, the chief minister will be from the UDF," Muraleedharan told reporters on Thursday, reacting to a query on Tharoor's post on 'X'.

"Our aim is to win the elections. We are not interested in such unnecessary controversies," he said.

He further said that there were several senior leaders in the Kerala unit of Congress who would be considered for the post of CM, irrespective of what any survey says.

Muraleedharan said that the party has a framework of rules according to which a decision would be taken as to who would be the next CM.

Muraleedharan took a swipe at the Thiruvananthapuram MP amid a widening rift between him and the party’s central leadership over his reactions following the Pahalgam terror attack, which have drawn sharp criticism within the Congress, with some of his comments seen as putting the party on the defensive.

The survey, reportedly conducted by a private agency, found that 28.3 per cent of respondents believe Tharoor is best suited to lead the state.

Tharoor had shared a news post about the survey on the social media platform 'X' on Wednesday, adding a folded hands emoji in response.

Kerala is scheduled to go to the Assembly polls in April next year, as the five-year term of the second LDF government led by CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan comes to an end.