A day after party chief Sonia Gandhi set up an ’empowered action group 2024′ to address the political challenges ahead, Congress invited pollster Prashant Kishor to join the group.

AICC spokesman Randeep Surjewala tweeted on Tuesday, “Following a presentation and discussions with Prashant Kishor, Congress chief has… invited him to join the party as part of the group with defined responsibility. He declined. We appreciate his efforts and suggestion given to the party”.

At the heart of the disagreement appeared to be indications given by the two sides. While Congress suggested that he was being given a “defined responsibility”, Kishor claimed that he was asked to “take responsibility for polls.”

His tweet was revealing as it conveyed that Congress was not willing to accept his big bang reforms seeking restructuring of the AICC as well as the Congress chief’s office, and wanted to confine him to poll strategy.

He is known to have suggested all along that the party needed to quicken the decision-making process, as well as have dedicated arms for poll management and organisational management. Kishor had also wanted a free hand in effecting reforms, that was unacceptable to Congress veterans.

His ideas on alliance matters, like junking old allies in key states like Bihar, Maharashtra, J&K, and on party leadership, are said to have struck another jarring note. A Congress functionary claimed that Kishor had wanted two different people as PM candidate and party chief – with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the latter. The party wants Rahul Gandhi to become the chief again.

The gulf in thinking appeared wide. Kishor’s decision to pay a visit to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and contract signed by IPAC, a firm he founded, with TRS only heightened the disquiet.

All eyes are now on the constitution of the empowered group, as the choice of its chairman and members will give a peep into Congress thinking about the future.

After Congress and Kishor announced a breakdown in their talks on Tuesday, party member Navjot Sidhu posted a picture with Kishor, calling him an “old friend”. “Had a wonderful meeting with my old friend PK … old wine, old gold and old friends still the best,” he tweeted, with a selfie with Kishor.