New discussions intensify in politics: Priyanka-Prashant Kishor’s meeting one month after Bihar elections…Return to Congress or new strategy?

Prashant Kishor Priyanka Gandhi meeting: After years of differences with Congress, political turmoil has once again intensified between election strategist turned leader Prashant Kishor and Congress. About a month after the Bihar Assembly elections, Prashant Kishore, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Have met. This meeting is also considered important because after the formation of Jan Suraj Party and bitter separation from Congress, it is considered to be the first direct political conversation between the two parties.

However, Congress and Prashant KishoreSources from both the camps have downplayed the importance of this meeting, but it is not being ignored in the political circles. Especially because in the recently concluded Bihar elections, Jan Suraj Party formed a grand alliance. In which Congress is a major component, and BJP contested against both.

Jan Suraj Party could not win even a single seat in Bihar Assembly elections

Prashant Kishore’s electoral entry in Bihar Assembly elections was very disappointing. Jan Suraj Party failed to win even a single seat and the deposits of 236 out of 238 candidates of the party (about 99.16%) were forfeited. Congress’s performance was also weak. Despite contesting elections on 61 seats, the party could win only 6 seats, whereas in 2020 it had 19 seats in its account.

During this election result, Prashant Kishor kept raising questions on the Congress leadership. He had described Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote theft’ campaign as non-relevant issues, which had further widened the distance between Congress and Kishor.

Old relationship between Gandhi family and Prashant Kishore

The relationship between Prashant Kishore and Gandhi family is not new. After his expulsion from JDU in 2021, Kishor had approached the Gandhi brothers and sisters to revive the Congress. After this, formal talks also took place between Congress and Prashant Kishore in 2022. In April 2022, an important meeting was held at Sonia Gandhi’s residence at 10, Janpath, in which many senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were present. In this meeting, Prashant Kishore gave a detailed presentation regarding the party’s reorganization and election strategy. At that time Kishore was also ready to join Congress.

After this, Sonia Gandhi formed an ‘Empowered Action Group 2024’ (EAG) to deal with the challenges of the party and proposed Prashant Kishor to join it. However, Kishore rejected this offer. He said that he does not want just a part of a committee but wants an independent role for comprehensive changes in the party.

Congress had then said in an official statement that the party had invited Prashant Kishor to join the EAG with defined responsibilities, which he declined. In response to this, Prashant Kishore had also issued a sharp statement saying that Congress needs stronger leadership and collective will than an external advisor, so that the party can overcome the deep structural crisis.

Will the political equation change?

Now, this meeting with Priyanka Gandhi after three years is raising many questions. Is dialogue starting again between Congress and Prashant Kishore? Or was it just a formal meeting? After the crushing defeat in Bihar elections and amidst the political equations of Lok Sabha elections, political eyes are fixed on the direction in which the strategy of both Congress and Prashant Kishor will take this meeting in the coming days.