Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said that he is convinced that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre will face a defeat in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

“The BJP is going to find it very tough to even repeat the 303 they had,” Tharoor told ANI. “I’m convinced at this time the BJP is going to lose the government.”

The senior Congress leader made the remarks hours after the Congress party announced his candidature from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram. in the coming Lok Sabha polls. He will be contesting against BJP’s Rajeev Chandrashekhar.

The Congress has announced its first list of 39 candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The list featured prominent leaders like Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon among others.

On Friday, Tharoor also responded to BJP’s charge about the alleged inner conflicts within the Congress party ahead of the general elections.

“In every election, there’s always been somebody leaving some party and going to some other party. That doesn’t mean that’s conflict or confusion. It means that individuals have their own ambitions in politics and they want to pursue them elsewhere,” Tharoor told ANI.

He also added that the BJP is also not immune from people leaving it.

“I don’t see that BJP is immune from that either. Some people left the BJP also and went in other directions. These things happen. Certainly, those of us in the Congress party for the last few years have seen opportunities to serve the people and that’s why we are in politics,” the Congress MP said.

He added: “That’s what I’m doing in Thiruvananthapuram. I’m here to serve the people of my constituency.”

Tharoor also said that he is honoured and humbled that the Congress party has given him an opportunity to defend his Thiruvananthapuram seat.

” I am honoured and humbled that the Congress party has give me an opportunity to defend my seat…I look forward to a fair and effective contest. in 15 years of politics, I never needed to spend one day of negative campaigning…” the Congress MP told reporters.