A final decision on Prashant Kishor's entry into the Congress was expected after a key meeting today.
Prashant Kishor will be made part of the Congress's "Empowered Action Group", sources said today, indicating that the election strategist might have got both feet through the door. The party though, might take more time to decide on his exact role, on which differences persist, they indicated.
The report of the eight-member Special Team formed by Sonia Gandhi to take a call on the matter, has agreed that the Congress needs to project a new face ahead of the 2024 general elections, sources said.
There is also a need for a total revamp of the organisation, the report has acknowledged, amid speculation whether IPAC's deal with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi ahead of the next state elections might have affected Mr Kishor's negotiations with the Congress.
Signing up rival parties has been a strict no-no from the special committee deliberating on Mr Kishor's entry. It also deeply upsets a section of leaders who are already wary about him and the upset in status quo his entry might bring about.
Mr Kishor has submitted a detailed plan for the overhaul of the Congress.
An older version of the plan circulating on social media has indicated that he has suggested sweeping changes that would bring in non-Gandhis in key leadership roles. It also suggests sweeping out a chunk of leaders from key decision making bodies who failed to win any election -- state, Centre or even within the organisation.
For now, the Empowered Action Group, where he might be included, is meant to address the "political challenges" ahead of the 2024 national elections at a three-day conclave in Rajasthan's Udaipur next month.
A final decision on Prashant Kishor's entry was expected after a key meeting today. But there was no announcement from the Congress, barring a remark from senior leader Randeep Surjewala that indicated that more time is needed to thrash out the contentious issue.
Party sources told NDTV that the Committee is divided on Mr Kishor's entry.
While those in favour include Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Ambika Soni, the naysayers are Digvijaya Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh. KC Venugopal and AK Antony marshal points both for and against and their personal views are not yet known.