The Congress announced on Tuesday that Prashant Kishor has declined its offer to join the party, ending speculations surrounding the election strategist’s possible entry into India’s oldest political party, as the country gears up for various upcoming elections, including the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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“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,” tweeted Randeep Singh Surjewala, the Congress' chief national spokesperson.
Kishor took to Twitter as well, as he described the offer as ‘generous’, but also explained why he turned down the invitation to become a Congressman. “In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep rooted structural problems through transformational reforms,” the former JD(U) vice-president tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}Kishor took to Twitter as well, as he described the offer as ‘generous’, but also explained why he turned down the invitation to become a Congressman. “In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep rooted structural problems through transformational reforms,” the former JD(U) vice-president tweeted.
{{/usCountry}}The development comes as a surprise as Kishor's induction into the Sonia Gandhi-led outfit was considered all but confirmed; over the last few days, a series of meetings took place between the two sides. Kishor made presentations detailing how the party should prepare for the general elections.
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Though the 45-year-old, according to reports, was keen on joining the grand old party, the talks are likely to have failed because of the pact signed between his Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and Telangana's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for next year's assembly elections in the state.
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Kishor, who, in 2014, played a major role in Narendra Modi's rise to the prime minister's chair, has, in recent days, worked with regional satraps, helping them win in their respective states. His recent clients include YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Andhra Pradesh), Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal) and MK Stalin (Tamil Nadu), among others.
The Congress, one of only two pan-India parties along with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently has chief ministers in only two states: Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. In states such as Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, it is a junior partner in the respective coalition governments.