Was In Talks With Gandhis For Almost 2 Years: Prashant Kishor To NDTV

Election strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday said that his talks to team up with the Congress fell through after nearly five months of discussions following the West Bengal elections, and although the party remains vital to defeat the BJP on a national level - its current leadership is not.

"The maximum number of hours I have spent post-Bengal results, was when I was talking with Congress. Almost five months, I have given every minute of mine between May and September," he said in an interview to NDTV, adding that in all, he had been in discussions with the party for about two years.

"For others, it looks natural that Prashant Kishor and Congress should come and work together. But both sides have to take a leap of faith to work together. That did not happen with the Congress," he said.

"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," Mr Kishor said.