Prashant Kishor declines offer to join Congress, says party needs leadership

Hyderabad: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has declined the proposal to join Congress for the 2024 general election. This comes amid strong buzz around the strategist joining the party that is desperate to return to power in 2024.

"Following a presentation & discussions with Sh. Prashant Kishor, Congress President, has constituted an 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," Indian National Congress (INC) general secretary Randeep Surjewala tweeted.

Prashant Kishor confirmed the same and tweeted, "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."

It should be mentioned that the TRS has reportedly signed a contract with Prashant Kishor-led IPAC in the run-up to the 2023 Telangana Assembly election. "Prashant Kishor has introduced us to IPAC and they will work with us. IPAC can only augment or complement what's there. It's an exaggeration to say IPAC will win our election. Kids who were 10-12 years old in 2014 are all majors now. They know KCR as CM and don't know his role in the agitation. To reach this generation, we will need different mediums and forms of communication. Digital media is setting the tone and tenor. The digital medium is where things are and IPAC will work with us in this area," minister K.T Rama Rao said.

He said that not just Prashant Kishor, they had conversations with multiple strategists like Sunil Konaglu and narrowed down on IPAC. KTR had said PK has not joined Congress and even if he joins, they will cross the bridge when it comes. "Prashant Kishor has disassociated himself from IPAC and is doing his politics. IPAC will be working for TRS," KTR said.

He said that BJP is not rising, but inflation, unemployment, and farmer losses have doubled. "BJP is a failed model. Because of Congress' inability to bring out these issues to centre stage, it makes as if BJP is rising," he said.

KTR urged people to choose between the "Golmal Gujarat model or the Golden Telangana model."