"Following a presentation & discussions with Prashant Kishor, Congress President has constituted a Empowered Action Group 2024 & invited him to join the party as part of the group with defined responsibility. He declined. We appreciate his efforts & suggestion given to party," the spokesperson tweeted.
The Congress on Monday announced that an empowered group will be constituted to address the political challenges ahead, days after deliberating on the presentation by poll strategist Prashant Kishor over the party's plan for the 2024 elections.
"I declined the generous offer of Congress to join the party as part of the EAG and take responsibility for the elections," Kishor said later.
Kishor said the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep rooted structural problems through transformational reforms.
"In my humble opinion, more than me the party needs leadership and collective will to fix the deep rooted structural problems through transformational reforms," he said.
Kishor was keen to join the Congress and had desired to do so without any expectations. He had also made a presentation to the party on which its top leaders deliberated upon during the last week.
The Congress has been struggling to evolve its strategy for upcoming elections in the wake of a series of defeats at the hustings.
Speculations were ripe about Prashant Kishor joining the Congress. However, just days earlier, the election strategist held talks with ruling TRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The meeting and TRS' decision to work with the I-PAC raised eyebrows amid talks between Kishor and Congress.
News agency PTI reported the reason for his not joining the Congress was the pact signed by his company I-PAC with TRS for the Telangana assembly elections and that was viewed by the Congress leadership as conflict of interest.
Kishor has been engaged by Mamata Banerjee's TMC in West Bengal as well as Nitish Kumar's JD-U in Bihar for election management.
