'Didn't want to get in having my hands tied': Prashant Kishor on why he didn't join Congress

Election strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday revealed the reason why he didn't join the Congress party even after nearly five months of discussions. Speaking to NDTV, Kishor said he was "very skeptical" as he had had a bad experience of working with the grand old party in 2017's Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

"Coming together required a leap of faith from both sides and for various we could not take that leap of faith. For example, on my side, I had a bad experience working with them on UP (2017 elections). And hence I was very sceptical. I did not want to get in having my hands tied," the election strategist told NDTV.

Kishor said he was going to join the Congress to reboot it and not merely for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. He added that he was in agreement with the party on 90% of the issues. However, the talks did not materialise.

In order to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kishor further said that the Congress needs a revamp. "I admire the Congress. The idea and space it represents, without it, an effective opposition is not possible. However, that does not mean it will have to be the current Congress under the current leadership. Congress needs a revamp to defeat the BJP," he said.

The election strategist also said that if a party or a leader wants to defeat the BJP, it needs to have 5-10 year perspective. "It cannot be done in five months," he added.

Published on: Monday, January 24, 2022, 08:56 PM IST