Poll strategist Prashant Kishor gives Congress blueprint for 2024

The presence of election strategist Prashant Kishor at a high-level Congress meeting at party president Sonia Gandhi’s residence has set the rumour mill churning. Political circles are abuzz with the possibility that Kishor — who was said to be joining the Congress in 2020 but didn’t do so following some disagreements – will join the grand old party this time.

Rahul Gandhi also attended the meeting, officially called to discuss crucial issues the country faces today. These include strategising for the upcoming elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and discussing about the Chintan Shivir it is planning to hold to devise ways for the party’s revival. Apart from the Gandhis and Kishor, senior Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Digvijiya Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal attended the meeting, according to reports.

Kishor plans for 2024

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, AICC general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal said Kishor gave a detailed presentation on the strategy for the 2024 polls to Sonia Gandhi. The plan presented by him will be looked into by a group set up by the Congress chief, following which the team will submit a report within a week, he said.

On being asked if Kishor will work as a strategist for the party or join the party, Venugopal said: “Every detail will be informed within a week’s time.”

According to Hindustan Times, Kishor is part of the plan for projecting industrialist, Leuva Patidar leader Naresh Patel, as the chief ministerial candidate.

There had been unconfirmed reports last month that Kishor had met the Gandhi siblings following the reverses in the five state assembly elections. In fact, it is being said that Kishor and the Gandhis had been in touch even after Kishor’s aborted entry into the Congress in 2020. Though the two sides reportedly had a breakdown in talks after the Bengal elections, NDTV quoted sources as saying that the communication “never stopped.”

Public criticism of Congress

This despite Kishor publicly criticising the Congress leadership over the last one year. “The idea and space that Congress represents is vital for a strong opposition. But Congress’ leadership is not the divine right of an individual especially when the party has lost more than 90% elections in last 10 years. Let opposition leadership be decided democratically,” he had tweeted.

Recently, after the assembly elections in which the Congress fared poorly, Kishor had said the battle for India will be fought and decided in 2024. “Saheb knows this! Hence this clever attempt to create frenzy around state results to establish a decisive psychological advantage over opposition. Don’t fall or be part of this false narrative,” he had tweeted.

Apart from the Congress, Kishor has been in touch with Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). KCR, who had earlier called for a united opposition minus the Congress, recently confirmed that he was working with Prashant Kishor to bring together all parties against the BJP to fill the vacuum in the national politics.