Shashi Tharoor as UPA's PM candidate in 2019? Here is the Congress leader's response

New Delhi: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday responded to an online petition proposing his name as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)'s prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Tharoor is currently MP from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

The petition, started on online platform "change.org" by Thiruvananthapuram resident Paul Trivandrum, has garnered 16,000 supporters.

Responding to the petition, the Congress MP said in a Facebook post that he was "surprised and touched" by the petition.

"Thank you, but no, thank you," cleared Tharoor on the idea of being PM.

"I am a member of Parliament for the Congress Party, nothing more and nothing less. The party has a settled leadership, which is not up for debate. When changes occur they do so through an established procedure." He said he discouraged his "followers" from signing the petition as well.

Read his complete post here:

The petition had said: "In another two years' time India, the largest democracy of the world will face another national election. Success of a democratic country requires a strong public interest based opposition led by a visionary leader capable of prime ministership.”

"Shashi Tharoor is a man well qualified with deep knowledge of international and national issues, who can connect with the people of India and with world leaders.”

"We nominate Shashi Tharoor to be the Prime Ministerial candidate of UPA in the run-up to 2019. In best interest of the world's largest democracy and to rejuvenate the opposition," it had added.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress could manage only 44 seats, despite being in power for two consecutive terms.