The entry of professional election strategist Prashant Kishor in Congress once again seemed certain. Last year too, the discussions of his joining the Congress went on vigorously, but suddenly PK was seen criticizing the Congress leadership and the working style of the party. By then it was clear that the doors of Congress were closed for him. However, this time his entry in Congress was being considered confirmed. PK himself was also restless to join the country’s oldest party. A roadmap was even prepared for how the Grand Old Party could regain its old glory and status. A power point presentation was also presented in 600 slides, but this time also the matter got stuck. The whole screw got stuck on 2 slides.

…and the matter kept on making sense.

In fact, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has formed an ‘Empowered Action Group 2024’ to prepare for the Lok Sabha elections and to overcome the political challenges facing the party. As the name suggests, this action group will be very powerful, which will have the right to implement the strategy apart from formulating it. Congress had invited PK to join this empowered action group. That is, he was offered to work together with a powerful group of selected Congress leaders. Obviously, the kind of freedom PK wanted for himself, He was not getting them. He wanted the party to follow the strategies formulated by him, but here he was expected to strategize with a select group of Congress leaders. The responsibilities of all the leaders of the group will also be fixed in advance. So it didn’t work out. The paths of both of them parted again and again.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted, “After discussion and a presentation with Prashant Kishor, Congress President invited him to join the party as part of a group. The responsibility of the group is clearly fixed. He turned it down. We appreciate his efforts and suggestions given to the party.

‘Fixed and clear responsibility’ versus ‘freedom’

On one hand the Congress is saying that PK was being given a “clear and definite” responsibility while Kishor claims that he was asked to take “responsibility for the elections”. PK tried to convey through his tweet that the Congress was not ready to implement his suggestion of radical changes and reforms in the organization and wanted to confine him to election strategy only. He had suggested to the Congress that the party needs to expedite the decision-making process. Apart from this, there should be separate dedicated teams for election management and organizational management. He wanted a free hand to ensure and implement reforms, which was not acceptable to senior Congress leaders. PK wanted to join Congress on his own terms but his two slides were taken to heart by the party.

Priyanka to be chief, PM candidate someone else… the screw on these two slides

After all, which were those two slides where the problem got stuck? What was in those slides? In one of the slides, PK had suggested making Priyanka Gandhi Vadra the national president. A Congress functionary claimed that Prashant Kishor wanted the PM candidate and the party president to be two different persons. He wanted Priyanka Vadra as the president while the party wants Rahul Gandhi to be the president again. The second slide was the one in which PK gave suggestions to the Congress regarding the alliance. Kishor wanted the Congress to shake off its old allies in important states like Bihar, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir.

Congress did not like PK-KCR meeting, IPAC-TRS deal

Congress was unable to digest these two slides. Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao met. His firm IPAC signed a contract with Rao’s party TRS. Already uncomfortable with PK’s suggestions, Congress did not like his meeting with Rao and his deal with TRS and once again PK kept on becoming a Congressman. Now all eyes are on the formation of Empowered Group. Who is its chairman and which leaders are made part of it, this will give an idea of ​​the thinking and strategy of the Congress regarding the future.

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