Lifeline or futile: Will Prashant Kishor joining Congress help it challenge BJP in 2024 elections?

Election strategist Prashant Kishor, who has contributed to delivering some of the most glorifying electoral wins for Indian politicians like Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, has decided to get into the ring once again, this time with Congress.

According to reports, Prashant Kishor is set to join the Congress in the coming days and has already met the senior leadership, including Party President Sonia Gandhi, thrice in one week.

Sources say that the purpose of these meetings is to ascertain the roadmap ahead for Congress in the coming election and decide on Kishor’s formal entry into the party.

Prashant Kishor's joining Congress, which has already been called a ‘sinking ship’ and ‘dead horse’ by its opposition due to the embarrassing performance in the polls over the years, is no ordinary news and may prove to be a turning point for the age-old party.

Zee News spoke to experts to understand the impact, repercussions and meaning of the Prashant Kishor- Congress partnership in the Indian political scenario.

Will Prashant Kishor’s entry into the Congress gain them electoral wins?

According to senior political analyst and DU professor Geeta Bhatt, Congress’s weakness lies not in their polls strategies and alliances but in their failure to provide a robust leadership, a model of governance and an ideological base that can attract people towards them. Congress does not need to bring in a political strategist or any big name in the party to bring those changes, it needs to be done within the party.

“Prashant Kishor’s strongest pursuit is preparing strategies, he sure can help form a better plan for approaching the election but that’s not what the Congress lacks, so his entry into the party is not going make any significant impact on their wins or the public opinion about them,” said Bhatt.

“Congress needs a change in leadership, shift from the dynastic politics and most importantly need to clarify their ideological standing which can helo voters understand them as a party. Simply getting Prashant Kishor on board would not resolve these issues. Congress has a crisis within the party and no new entrant can change these,” Bhatt added.

Prashant Kishor- a successful poll strategist but not a successful politician

Weighing in on Kishor’s political journey so far, political expert Geeta Bhatt said that one needs to understand the difference between a strategist and a politician and whether Kishor has proven to be a decent political strategist, his run as a politician has not been impressive.

“We must understand that being a poll strategist and a politician are two very different ball games and while he has been a fairly successful strategist but he has not been able to deliver as a politician very well,” added Bhatt.

For the unversed, Prashant Kishor joined Nitish Kumar’s JDU in 2018 and was offered the Vice President position. However, the political journey came to an early end when Kumar expelled Prashant Kishor from the party two years later in 2020.

Prashant Kishor’s role in the Congress and The Resistance- Challenges involved

Congress has been facing tough resistance within the party from the veterans for the longest time and Prashant Kishor’s entry into a party as a full-time politician means he comes with some high political ambitions, which a bigger and significant role in the Congress leadership.

This might not go down well with the senior leaders who have already spent enough time building the party and can give rise to more resistance, which at this point is disastrous for Congress, said, Bhatt

“It is very much possible that Congress’s partnership with Kishor may worsen the party’s position. However, it is highly unpredictable to say things with certainty in politics but his entry is sure going to give rise to friction, more dissent and resistance within the party, which is no good news,” Bhatt added.

Prashant Kishor and Congress- a rocky history

It must be noted that Prashant Kishor has already partnered with Congress in 2017 as a political strategist and helped them form a ‘Maha Gatbandhan’ during the UP assembly election. However, Kishor pulled out of that partnership right before the election.

Similarly, in the 2022 UP Assembly Elections, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had held meetings with Kishor to get him on board but it didn’t happen. So, Congress and Kishor share a shaky history already.

Will Prashant Kishor- Congress partnership impact BJP?

About the Congress-Kishor partnership impact on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party base, Bhatt says she doesn’t see any huge effect on the standing of the saffron party.

“I feel the post-2014 scenario has been more performance-based rather than a party-centric approach. This means Congress will have to come out as an alternative to the BJP, which can only happen on how they present a model of governance and not just bring an individual on board.

Similarly, political analyst Vishal Mishra also believes that Prashant Kishor joining Congress would not have any impact on BJP’s standing in the present political scenario.