New Delhi/IBNS, Jan. 23 -- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is likely to stay away from an important meeting convened by the party's central leadership to discuss preparations for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections, sources said on Friday.

His decision follows what sources describe as deep dissatisfaction over his treatment during a recent Congress Mahapanchayat event in Kochi attended by Rahul Gandhi.

The absence of the four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP from the strategy meeting has drawn attention within party circles, coming at a sensitive time as the Congress looks to sharpen its campaign in Kerala.

According to party sources, Tharoor felt insulted by the arrangements at the Kochi event, particularly concerning seating and the sequence...