An online petition has proposed the name of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor 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, had garnered 11,000 supporters by Tuesday afternoon. 

"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," the petition said.

"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 added.

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