Even as Congress workers are upbeat about poll strategist Prashant Kishor(PK) churning out a miracle for the party in 2017 Assembly polls, senior leaders have started sending terse messages to the cadre that nothing has changed vis a vis the selection of candidates.
Even AICC general secretary and UP in-charge Madhusudan Mistri did not mind mincing his words on this count.
Addressing a meet of block development committee in-charges in lucknow on Tuesday, Mistri asserted in the presence of PK, "I wanted to make it clear to you that some groups are claiming to play an important role in selection of candidates for the Assembly polls but this is not going to happen. The party would stick to the old procedure of selecting candidates."
While Mistri did not take any names, but party sources indicated that he tried to make it clear that PK had no role to play in the selection.
Mistri elaborated that district-level panel formed for the purpose would send names of probables to State Committee which would forward it to Central Election Committee for approval.
However, Mistri clarified that a final decision in this regard will be taken only after party chief Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi gave their nod on the names.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that Mistri has tried to cross PK, whom the media has been projecting as a `Game Changer’ for the Congress which is expecting for a political comeback in Uttar Pradesh after three decades.
"PK is one among the several, who would plan strategy for the success of Congress in UP Assembly polls," Mistri had said at a press conference while reacting to PK's entry last month. He said that PK is like doctors, professors and others who contribute for the party but denied that he has joined the party.
Not only this, Mistri had also clarified that PK will have no say in the selection of the candidates for the polls and a committee of Central leaders would have the final say.