Poll strategist Prashant Kishor will not join Congress, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala has confirmed. Kishor was keen on joining the Congress and had expressed his willingness to do so without any expectations, but senior party leaders expressed doubts over the commitment of the poll strategist since he has agreements to support rivals in West Bengal, Bihar and Telangana.
Surjewala on Twitter said, "Following a presentation & discussions with Prashant Kishor, Congress President has constituted a Empowered Action Group 2024 & invited him to join the party as part of the group with defined responsibility. He declined. We appreciate his efforts & suggestion given to party."
Soon after declining Congress' offer, the poll strategist cautioned the party and highlighted the need of 'leadership and collective will to fix the deep-rooted structural problems'. In his first tweet after declining Congress' offer, Kishor tweeted, "I declined the generous offer of #congress to join the party as part of the EAG & take responsibility for the elections. In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep-rooted structural problems through transformational reforms."
According to sources, Prashant Kishor wanted to be General Secretary Strategy and Planning and wanted a mechanism wherein he only reports to Congress president. However, Congress offered him the role of being the member of empowered action group 2024 of the party.
He also had ambitions in Bihar and wanted to be projected as the CM face and the state Congress president next year, sources said.
Congress sources said on Monday the eight-member group constituted by party president Sonia Gandhi to formulate its poll strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls after Kishor's presentation took serious note of the poll arrangement signed by I-PAC with the TRS for the assembly elections.
Some had noted there will be a conflict of interest in the Congress going ahead with having any poll arrangement with Kishor, they added.
Some senior leaders present during Monday's meeting with Sonia Gandhi discussed the issue and raised their concerns and are learnt to have told the leadership to seek answers from Kishor.
Sources said the Congress leadership will seek answers from Kishor and confront him over the development before moving ahead with any future poll arrangement or his inclusion in the party.
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