New Delhi: The party leadership is in talks with political strategist Prashant Kishore to find a way to revive the Congress. Prashant met Sonia Gandhi, Chief Ministers Ashok Gellot and Bhupesh Bagel yesterday to discuss national politics and the situation in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Digvijay Singh, KC Venugopal, Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik and Randeep Singh Surjewala were also present.
Young leader Sachin Pilot was not invited to the discussion on the Rajasthan issue. According to party sources, Tendulkar was not ignored and was not invited due to discussions with the chief ministers. Following are some of Prashant’s discussions with the Congress leadership over the past four days:
2024 Outline
Prashant has presented to Sonia a detailed outline of the strategies and political alliances to be adopted by the Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. State-wise discussions are currently underway. The talks will focus on Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, where assembly elections are being held ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
What’s next?
Sonia formed the inaugural committee to submit a report within a week of studying the outline. The members are Priyanka Gandhi, KC Venugopal, Digvijay Singh, Ambika Soni, Mukul Wasnik and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Prashant to join Congress?
The majority opinion among party leaders is that Prashant should join the Congress. There are those who argue that he should be included in the party only if the Congress wins the forthcoming assembly elections. If there is a consensus among national and state leaders on cooperating with Prashant, it will pave the way for his entry into Congress. Ashok Gellot has publicly welcomed Prashant.
The role of peace
If he joins the party, his primary mission will be to change the image of the Congress. He argues that the main reason for the setback in the Lok Sabha elections is the inability of the Congress to establish itself as a national alternative to the BJP.
The people will believe the campaign that the Congress is the national alternative only if it performs well in the forthcoming state elections. His involvement will be to strengthen the party at the organizational level from the grassroots and to raise money for the election battle.
Mamata Banerjee (Bengal), YS Prashant will also serve as a bridge for the Congress to co-operate with Jaganmohan Reddy (Andhra Pradesh) and K. Chandrasekhar Rao (Telangana) in the united opposition movement.
Sonia’s intervention
The talks are being held at Sonia’s residence. In Prashant’s case too, Sonia has adopted the usual style of making decisions without rushing through detailed discussions on party matters. Indications are that Sonia is in favor of Prashant joining the Congress. They are having discussions to get the minds of the leaders in this regard. Sonia forgets her illness and participates in the marathon discussions that last for hours.
The position of the G23 group
It is learned that the G23 leaders have no objection to Prashant. M Veerappa Moily, a member of the G23 group, said that those who oppose Prashant joining the Congress are against change. Moily, who had previously been with the rebel group, has been keeping a distance from them for a few days and is moving closer to the official side. Sonia is also preparing to join hands with Prashant to end the G23’s criticism.
What now?
The details of the discussion will be presented and finalized at a think tank in Rajasthan in the middle of next month.
Organizational selection: Committee meeting convened
New Delhi: The Central Election Commission (CEC) has convened a meeting to discuss preparations for the forthcoming general elections to find a new national president of the Congress. The first phase of the organizational election, Booth, was chaired by committee chairman Madhusudan Mistry.
English Summary: Prashant Kishor and developments in Congress