NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said that it is forming an Empowered Action Group (EAG) to prepare for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and to address the political challenges that the party is facing.
The party, however, avoided answering any queries on the induction of poll strategist Prashant Kishor into the Grand Old Party.
The decision comes days after an eight-member committee submitted a report to party interim chief Sonia Gandhi.
Speaking to the media, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “Firstly, the Congress president received a report from the eight-member committee. The report was submitted on April 21. Today, she discussed the report with the group. Based on the discussion, the Congress chief has decided to constitute a group in order to address the political challenges ahead.”
His remarks came after several senior party leaders – former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh, former Union ministers P. Chidambaram and AK Antony, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, and Surjewala – met to discuss the report submitted by the party committee on Kishor’s recommendations for its revival.
Kishor had met Sonia Gandhi and several other top leaders of Congress, including Rahul Gandhi, Ambika Soni, and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kishor, who had been instrumental in designing the poll campaigns of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and AAP in Delhi, had given a detailed presentation to Congress leaders to prepare for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on several occasions last week.
On April 16, he met Sonia Gandhi for the first time and gave a detailed presentation, which lasted for more than three hours, on ways to revive the fortunes of the party for the next general elections. Since then, several top party leaders had met Kishor at her residence four times in the last five days.
To a question about the members of the EAG-2024, Surjewala said, “We will update soon once Sonia Gandhi decides on the members and their role.”
When asked about the role of Kishor in the party, the Congress leader said, “The Committee had submitted the report and the party leaders had discussed the same and they have decided to form an EAG.”
“Once the EAG is formed by Sonia Gandhi, we will inform you all about its Constitution and its roles and responsibilities. I am not going to comment on who all are going to be in the group,” he said.
He also said that this EAG will also look into the elections in the states and tackle the political challenges.