From fallout to fresh talks: Prashant Kishor meets Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after Bihar poll rout

Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party had contested the Bihar polls against both the Mahagathbandhan, of which the Congress is a key constituent, and the BJP.

While The Indian Express' sources in both camps have downplayed the significance of the recent interaction, the meeting is politically notable as it comes after a bitter fallout between Kishor and the Congress a few years ago.

During the Bihar campaign, Kishor had openly criticised the Congress, dismissing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Rahul Gandhi’s “vote theft” allegations as non-issues in the state.

However, the election proved disastrous for Kishor, with the Jan Suraaj Party failing to win a single seat and losing deposits for 236 of its 238 candidates.

The Congress, too, performed poorly, securing only six of the 61 seats it contested — a sharp decline from the 19 seats it won in the 2020 Assembly elections.

Kishor’s association with the Gandhi family dates back several years. In 2021, after being expelled from the JD(U), he had approached the Congress leadership with a proposal aimed at reviving the party.

Formal talks took place in April 2022, when Kishor made a detailed presentation to the party’s top leadership at Sonia Gandhi’s residence, attended by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several senior leaders.

Following the meeting, Sonia Gandhi, then Congress president, constituted an Empowered Action Group (EAG) to examine Kishor’s suggestions and invited him to join the party as part of the group.

However, the talks collapsed after Kishor declined the offer, seeking greater authority and a freer hand in decision-making.

At the time, the Congress said it appreciated Kishor’s inputs, while Kishor responded that the party needed leadership and collective political will to address its “deep-rooted structural problems” rather than relying on external strategists.

Several senior Congress leaders reportedly felt uncomfortable with the idea of restructuring the party then, which contributed to the eventual breakdown of talks.