The demand for poll strategist Prashant Kishore is apparently on the rise as sources confirmed that he recently met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi who has sought views of his party members concerning Kishor’s entry into the party.

The Congress, in its bid to make a comeback by ousting the BJP, has been consulting Kishor whose success in devising political strategies have found evidence in the recent thumping victory of the Trinamul Congress in West Bengal Assembly polls. The Trinamul has renewed his contract while speculations were rife that Kishore may join TMC.

However, at present, sources confirmed that Rahul Gandhi has informally discussed and sought views from Congress leaders concerning induction of Kishor into the party, and to what extent he can be given responsibility for the party’s poll strategy, said party leaders who were part of these deliberations.

Kishor is also said to have met Rahul quite a few times now to discuss the party’s revival ahead of a spate of Assembly elections next year, including in Uttar Pradesh. Recently, he had met Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and interim chief Sonia Gandhi, offering a poll strategy for a comeback. Kishor is likely to take a political plunge soon in Congress but a debate on what his position in the party will be, continue within the party-fold.

Sources said that Kishor may be appointed as general secretary in charge of election management but party seniors, as per sources, have not entertained the idea of reposing the responsibility of elections in the hands of one person.

The Congress is preparing for polls in UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and some northeastern states next year. Kishor has recently handled campaigns of the Trinamool Congress, the DMK and the YSRCP and has relations across party lines. Most recently, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has roped him for his advice in the run-up for elections.

Kishor has been meeting Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar too, and their frequent meetings had fuelled speculations on the creation of a “third front” to combat the BJP. But Kishor has categorically rejected this possibility and insisted that without Congress, it can’t be possible to challenge the BJP.

…With IANS inputs