Prashant Kishor has officially ended ties with IPAC, but is known to be privy to its decisions. File
The Congress high command met today to decide on whether it will accept poll strategist Prashant Kishor's proposal to revamp the grand old party ahead of the 2024 general election.
Top leaders of the party, it is learnt, discussed the pros and cons of roping in Mr Kishor and what role he can be given if he is taken on board. While there has been no official announcement so far, there are indications that the party has reached a decision.
Besides party chief Sonia Gandhi, members of the seven-member committee that submitted a report to her on Mr Kishor's proposal met at 10, Janpath this morning. The committee is headed by former Union Minister P Chidambaram and senior leaders K C Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik, Ambika Soni, Jairam Ramesh, Digvijaya Singh and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and senior leader A K Antony also attended the meeting that lasted over two hours.
The poll strategist has had three meetings with the Congress leadership so far during which he has given detailed presentations on his plan to rejuvenate the party reeling under a series of poll debacles over the past few years.
A section of Congress veterans, however, have been wary of a partnership with the poll strategist owing to his association with several parties that are Congress' rivals.
Such voices are likely to get stronger following Mr Kishor's two-day stay with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi's contract with political consultancy firm I-PAC for the 2023 state polls.
While Mr Kishor has officially ended his relations with IPAC, he is said to be privy to all the decisions of the organisation which he earlier led.
Mr Rao's party is in direct contest with the Congress in the Telangana Assembly polls and, therefore, Mr Kishor's weekend stay at Hyderabad is likely to weigh heavily on the Congress meeting today.
Sources from the party have earlier indicated that the special team Mrs Gandhi formed to evaluate Mr Kishor's proposal wants him to dissociate from all other political parties and devote himself entirely to the Congress.
The sources have also said that Mr Kishor had suggested that the Congress forge tie-ups with regional forces, including Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and KCR's Telangana Rashtra Samithi.