According to two sources in the Congress, electoral strategist Prashant Kishor has approached Rahul Gandhi about working on the Congress party’s campaign in the upcoming Gujarat assembly elections.
This is a remarkable turnaround from last year when the two sides fell out following multiple rounds of talks.
The outreach comes after Congress leadership and Kishor broke off talks about Kishor having a more significant role in the party. Later, Congress hired a former associate of Mr. Kishor to run its election campaigns.
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Mamata Banerjee’s party hired Mr. Kishor as a critical point person, and Congress hired him to run its election campaigns.
However, sources informed the media that Mr. Kishor’s current approach is a one-time offer to focus exclusively on the Gujarat polls with “no ties attached.”
The Congress hasn’t made up its mind about Mr. Kishor’s idea, which also came up during a meeting Rahul Gandhi had with Gujarat Congress leaders on Tuesday.
Some Congress leaders in Gujarat are interested in taking on Mr. Kishor, but Rahul Gandhi has the final say.
Friends of Mr. Kishor say that the story is not true.
There was a real chance that Mr. Kishor would join the Congress last year, but the partnership broke down for “multiple reasons,” the Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra told media this year.
There were a lot of rumors last year when Prashant Kishor went to Rahul Gandhi’s house to meet with him and his wife, Sonia Gandhi, and his son, Rahul Gandhi. When he joined the Congress, said that it was close to being over.
There were reports that negotiations had broken down. Prashant Kishor, a well-known critic of the party, said it was not the “divine right” of any person to lead the Congress, especially when the party has lost more than 90% of the elections in the last 10 years.
In the past, Mr. Kishor has made it clear that he thinks Congress has a role to play in opposition to the government in 2024, but not with the current leaders.
