PK Presents 2024 Plan to Congress, But Will He Join The Deeply Divided Party as Many See Him with Suspicion?

In the over three-hour-long meeting in which Prashant Kishor was present, two things came to light. The Congress was desperate for a comeback in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. And PK, as he is called, could join the party officially soon. Going by his presentation for the Congress, he could be calling the shots. These moves may, of course, create grounds for future confrontations and disgruntlement in the ranks.

Sources say in the almost two-hour-long presentation he made, the poll strategist stressed on two issues. One, the Congress has to earmark and target 350 to 400 seats it needs to win. And, second, alliances with other parties are a must and it should work on this.

The fact that Sonia Gandhi is serious and does not want to waste any time is brought out by the fact that a small group of key leaders will be set up to ensure the implementation of some of Kishor’s suggestions.

Sources say no discussion took place on the role of Rahul Gandhi. But PK did mention that the leadership must be clear and the opposition coalition for 2024 must have a face.

As for Kishor joining the Congress, sources say many feel that as a poll strategist he has worked for many other political parties. And so this time round it would be best if he works exclusively for the Congress as a member of the party. In a week’s time, it is expected that there would be a formal announcement on whether PK joins the Congress and works exclusively for it.

Since the death of Ahmed Patel, the Congress has been looking for someone to play the key role of reaching out to other opposition parties to stitch up alliances. The fact that Prashant Kishor has worked with most of the key political leaders in the opposition space, like Jagan Mohan Reddy and Mamata Banerjee among others, makes the Congress feel he can fill that void.

But PK, while asking for no post, has one demand. That there should not be any meddling with his work. His suggestions must be acceptable to all. In the previous UP elections, he had a falling-out with the Congress high command and had openly complained that no one in the party would listen to him, not even the Gandhis.

The style of PK is to dictate appointments at even the district level, and for ticket distribution, and campaigning. This had, for example, led to much heartburn in the Trinamool Congress during the 2021 West Bengal polls. But Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is a single-leader party, though Abhishek Banerjee is now coming up. The Congress though has many different heads and satraps, with most senior leaders being averse to listening to a “rank outsider”, as they describe him, and allowing him to call the shots. Would they let a parallel power structure to the Gandhis develop?

In Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu had the clear blessing of the Gandhis but that didn’t stop the infighting. Here too, can PK, despite the clear backing of the Gandhis, keep a stumbling, deeply divided party, with many egos and ambitions, together? This may be his toughest assignment yet.

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