Election strategist Prashant Kishore held a meeting with interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday. He gave presented a detailed plan strategy to the party for the next general elections and upcoming elections to be held in the states of Gujarat and Himachal later this year. Speculations are rife that Prashant Kishore might join Congress.
Earlier Sonia Gandhi called an urgent meeting at her residence. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Ambika Soni, Digvijaya Singh, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken and KC Venugopal are also present at the meeting with Kishor.
The meeting took place in the backdrop of Congress’ poll preparations for Gujarat and Himachal Assembly elections this year.
After the meeting, senior party leader KC Venugopal said that “Kishore has given a detailed presentation on 2024 poll strategy to the Congress chief. The plan presented by him will be looked into by a group set up by Sonia Gandhi. The group will submit its report within a week for final decision.”
In the past, Prashant Kishor has worked with Congress for the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections. He was credited with helping Congress and Captain Amarinder Singh win 77 out of 117 seats in the 2017 Punjab elections.
Kishor gained acclaim owing to the BJP’s landslide victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.
Kishor had previously held parleys with the former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and the party’s national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi. However, there had been no forward movement.
After the recent poll debacle in five states, Congress is seeking to restart negotiations with Kishor. The results of five Assembly polls came as a shock to Congress which was hoping to do well to revive its prospects for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and to fend off the emerging challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress to replace it as the fulcrum of anti-BJP politics in the country.
Reacting to speculation about Kishore joining the Congress Venugopal said that “Every detail will be available within a week’s time.”
(With agency inputs)