New Delhi: Election strategist Prashant Kishor is in a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and K C Venugopal amid speculation over him joining the party which has its back to the wall after a series of poll routs, sources said today.
Mr Kishor recently resumed negotiations with the Gandhis for a role in resurrecting the Congress ahead of the big polls ahead, including the 2024 general election. The two sides had earlier fallen out after several rounds of talks on teaming up.
Sources close to the strategist have countered the Congress’s version that the talks are focused on the Gujarat election later this year. The Congress leadership and Prashant Kishor or “PK” are mainly discussing a blueprint for the 2024 national election, they have said.
Elections in Gujarat or any other state will fall in line with PK’s assignment and responsibility once the two sides arrive at an agreement for 2024, the sources say. Congress sources, however, insist that Mr Kishor’s latest pitch is a one-time offer to work only on the Gujarat elections.
A key hold-up, reportedly, is PK’s desire for a Big Bang approach as opposed to the Gandhis’ wish to bring in incremental changes, without antagonising party leaders too much by giving the ace strategist solo charge of revamping the Congress.
PK joining the Congress – instead of taking on an advisory role – is still a remote possibility, sources say. However, it cannot be ruled out, given his May 2 deadline of announcing his future role, but it all hinges on everyone concerned agreeing on Mission 2024.
Talks between Mr Kishor and the Gandhis collapsed last year, weeks after Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal victory – in which the strategist played a big role. The Congress later signed up with a former associate of Mr Kishor to handle its election campaigns.
Despite Mr Kishor’s sharp, public digs at the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi, in the months after the breakdown, both sides have showed willingness for another shot at an understanding after the party’s latest election defeats. The communication “never stopped”, sources say.
There is a very real possibility, however, that Round 2 may also turn out to be a dud as neither side has changed their stance.
Bureau Report
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