PK asked to join Congress, draws up ’24 poll strategy

NEW DELHI: The Congress has asked election strategist Prashant Kishor to join the party and not work as a consultant, sources have said.

He has shown interest in joining the party and given a detailed presentation of the party’s weaknesses and what needs to be done for improvement, such as the Congress would likely concentrate on 370 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the sources said.

Kishor has also given a detailed presentation for the 2024 election and a small committee will be formed to look at his suggestions and ideas and how to take them forward, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal said after Kishor met with him, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on Saturday.

Kishor suggested Congress should fight alone in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha, and it should form alliances in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra, which Rahul Gandhi agreed, news agency ANI reported quoting unnamed sources. 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 added.

The Congress sources, however, insist that Kishor’s latest pitch is a one-time offer to work only on the Gujarat election.

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. Talks between Kishor and the Gandhis collapsed last year, weeks after Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal victory — in which the strategist played a big role. The Congress later signed up with a former associate of Kishor to handle its election campaigns.

Despite his 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”, they said.