Prashant Kishor declines Cong offer of joining party, after rounds of parleys for 2024 polls

New Delhi: Days of brainstorming sessions in the Congress party and the likely induction of election strategist Prashant Kishor ended abruptly on Tuesday, with the latter declining party’s offer to join it.

Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter to make the disclosure.

“Following a presentation & discussions with Sh. 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,” senior party leader Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

Prashant Kishor was courting Congress for long and has often batted for the grand old party, positioning it as the only alternative against Narendra Modi-led BJP govt. However, his overtly critical views on Gandhi leadership didn’t go down well with the party high command and family loyalists and sources say that this suggestion was not only scoffed at but party felt that his induction in a higher capacity could have hurted party’s prospects rather than reviving its base.

However, the party took note of his couple of suggestions and laid down the roadmap for 2024 poll battle by forming an Empowered Action Group.

Why no headway despite round of talks

Following the humiliating debacle in Assembly elections, Congress leaders were in a huddle to discuss reasons behind rout & also the future roadmap. Prashant Kishor also had string of meetings with party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Sources indicated that the party was in agreement with Kishor’s advice that it needed a fresh face & strategy but the party refused to give him a free hand.

Also, many party veterans showed resistance to Kishor’s proposal, as they opposed his overtures owing to his association with party’s rivals including Trinamool Congress in Bengal & Jagan Reddy in Andhra Pradesh.