Prashant Kishor declines offer to join Congress

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has declined the offer to join the Indian National Congress party as part of its “Empowered Action Group” meant to address the political challenges ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Sources indicated that the grand old party, which is on the decline, had refused to give Kishor a free hand to rejuvenate the party and bring it back in power starting from scratch.

Senior party leader and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted about the development.

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

Immediately after Surjewala's tweet, Prashant Kishor took to Twitter to explain why he declined the offer. he said, "More than me the party 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

The Congress on Monday announced that an "Empowered Action Group-2024" will be constituted to address the political challenges ahead and a 'Chintan Shivir' will be organised in Rajasthan's Udaipur from May 13-15 to deliberate on organisational restructuring and other issues to strengthen the party.

"Matters relating to organisational restructuring and strengthening will be examined. The Chintan Shivir will also deliberate on the broad strategy of the Indian National Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections," Surjewala had said on Monday.

Amid a series of deliberations over the strategy for upcoming general and assembly elections by Kishor, a group of senior leaders of the Congress had given its recommendations to the party president and left it to her to take a call on them and initiate organisational changes.