NEW DELHI: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Tuesday declined Congress’s “generous offer” to join the party as a part of the empowered action group formed by Sonia Gandhi.
“I declined the generous offer of #congress to join the party as part of the EAG & take responsibility for the elections,” Kishor said on Twitter, ending days of speculation about his entry into the grand old party.
Kishor further said that Congress needs “leadership and collective will to fix the deep rooted structural problems through transformational reforms”.
I declined the generous offer of #congress to join the party as part of the EAG & take responsibility for the elections.
In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep rooted structural problems through transformational reforms.
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) April 26, 2022
Moments before Kishor’s tweet, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had announced that the poll strategist was offered a position in the empowered group with a defined responsibility but he declined to take it up.
“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,” Surjewala tweeted.
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.
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 26, 2022
Prashant Kishor had made a presentation to the Congress leadership on the proposed action plan to revive the party. The grand old party has been decimated in the last two Lok Sabha elections.
It has also lost several states in the last 7 years and at present is in power in only two states – Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
According to Congress leaders, Kishor had not demanded any position or mandate, but had offered a plan that he believed should be implemented, ranging from restructuring of the organisation to public messaging.
Sonia Gandhi had yesterday announced the formation of the empowered action group to guide the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after a high-level meeting.
She had also announced the formation of several committees to prepare for the three-day
“chintan shivir” to be held in Udaipur in Rajasthan from May 13 to May 15.
Chintan shivir was part of the measures announced by the Congress president to ensure that every leader got a say in the rebuilding of the Congress.
