Election strategist Prashant Kishor held a fresh round of talks with interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, 20 April – their fourth meeting in five days – after which it was said that a proposal by Kishor was under consideration by the grand old party.
After the meeting, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the party was evaluating Kishor's proposal, and that a report would be submitted to Gandhi within 72 hours.
This comes after Kishor presented a detailed roadmap to the party on 16 April in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections as well as the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"Various others' inputs are also being deliberated upon and a final report to be submitted within the next 72 hours to the Congress President," Surjewala was quoted as saying by NDTV.
The meeting, held at Sonia Gandhi's residence in Delhi, further fueled rumours of Kishor's induction into the party. Sources told The Quint that a proposal about Kishor joining the party as a full-time leader, and not merely as a professional consultant, was also furthered during the meeting on 19 April.
Congress Leaders Discussed Views on Kishor's Roadmap at Meeting
The five-hour-long meeting was attended by Congress chief ministers from Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, respectively, along with Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni, and KC Venugopal.
Surjewala also said that the two Congress chief ministers were asked to attend the meeting on Wednesday owing to their political and organisational experience, adding that their suggestions regarding Kishor's roadmap for the party were extremely valuable, The Indian Express reported.
Speaking on the significance of the election strategist's insights for the party, Rajasthan CM Gehlot said that Kishor "has become a brand. He was with (Narendra) Modi and BJP for 2014 Lok Sabha polls; then he went with Nitish (Kumar), and then with the Congress in Punjab. He is a professional. There are many others like him - we get in touch with them, too. But Prashant Kishor has become a big name, so the media is focusing on him."
Kishor met the Congress's top brass on 16, 18, and 19 April to provide his insights on the way ahead to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming elections.
Last year, Kishor and the Gandhis held several rounds of talks on building a consolidated front for the 2024 national election. Discussions on the poll strategist joining the party had also been held, but collapsed due to some disagreements between the two sides, Priyanka Gandhi indicated in January this year.
(With inputs from NDTV and The Indian Express.)
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