Prashant Kishor Predicts 'Electoral Rout' for Congress in Gujarat, Himachal

Prashant Kishor also said the recently-held 'Chintan Shivir' by Congress "failed to achieve anything meaningful."

Political strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday, 20 May, predicted an "electoral rout" for the Congress party in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, scheduled to be held later this year.

(Photo: The Quint)

Political strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday, 20 May, predicted an "electoral rout" for the Congress in the upcoming Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections, scheduled to be held later this year.

Kishor said the recently held 'Chintan Shivir' or brainstorming session by the party "failed to achieve meaningful" other than "prolonging the status-quo and giving some time to the Congress leadership."

"I've been repeatedly asked to comment on the outcome of #UdaipurChintanShivir In my view, it failed to achieve anything meaningful other than prolonging the status-quo and giving some time to the #Congress leadership, at least till the impending electoral rout in Gujarat and HP!" he said in a tweet.

The three-day Chintan Shivir was held in Udaipur from 13-15 April. While the party approved some reforms, it steered clear of any big decisions, such as a leadership overhaul.

The Congress witnessed massive losses and significant dwindling in its popularity in the recently-held Assembly elections in five states and has seen a series of election debacles since 2014.

What Happened at the Shivir?

Last year, Kishor presented to the Gandhis his plan titled Congress 2.0, where he had recommended Sonia Gandhi as party president, a non-Gandhi working president or vice president and Rahul Gandhi as the chief of the Parliamentary Board.

The parliamentary board proposal was a key demand of the rebel group within the Congress.

However, the proposal was shot down in the Udaipur session. Instead, the Congress decided to have a political affairs committee in every state and the Centre.

Congress also brought back the "One Family One Ticket" rule. However, the rule leaves a loophole for all those who have been in active politics for five years. The rule helps the Gandhi family, among others.

Congress' Failed Talks With Kishor and His Future Plan

Weeks before the meet, the Congress was in talks with Kishor for a collaboration. Kishor held several meetings with the party's top brass. However, on 26 April, the erstwhile poll strategist declined an offer to join the Congress.

The party had proposed that Kishor join its 'Empowered Action Group,' which would work on the party's campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

However, Kishor stated that he had turned down the offer from Congress as the party is in greater need of leadership and collective will to fix deep-rooted structural problems.

Earlier this month, after hinting at entry into Bihar's active politics, Kishor asserted that he would work for the state in the capacity of a "political activist" in the coming months and announced that he would embark on a padayatra of over 3,000 km across to meet the people of Bihar.