The buzz that election strategist Prashant Kishor is joining the Congress is only getting louder, and it is understood that very soon, the party will make an official announcement about his induction and his role in the organisation.
According to Congress sources, Kishor had in May 2021—after the results of the Assembly elections were announced—sent feelers to the party on working for the party, not in the capacity of a political consultant but as a member of the party.
“He conveyed that he wants to work for the Congress and wants to be in it. How and in what capacity is a decision that the Congress president has to make and it is being worked out,” said a Congress leader.
Kishor had after his successful stints in the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu elections earlier this year, where he worked with Mamata Banerjee and M.K. Stalin, respectively, declared that he wanted to quit the election consultancy space and do something else in life. It now turns out that his plans involve crossing over to politics.
The strategist's meeting with the Gandhis last month had given rise to speculation that he was being brought on board to help the party prepare for the coming round of Assembly elections as also the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
However, soon political circles were abuzz with speculation whether Kishor was joining the Congress. It is now learnt that he could be brought into the party in an advisory role, reporting directly to the Congress president. According to sources in the party, he could be a part of a high-level advisory group that would deliberate on issues such as organisational changes in the party, election strategy and alliances.
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A party leader said this could be the Congress version of the National Advisory Council that deliberated on various policy matters and offered suggestions to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh government.
“He [Kishor] has worked with the Congress in the past and with other parties too. He believes that if Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have to be defeated, it cannot be achieved without having the Congress in the picture,” the leader said.
Kishor, said the leader, understands the functioning of the Congress, having worked with the party in a few states, and since he has engaged with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the past. The leader added, “He is a very intelligent person. He comes to the table with his unique take on issues. His USP is that his ideas may be borne out of a lot of research and data crunching, but are placed on the table in a very simplified manner.”
