It is not plausible to build consensus around an individual, a leader; except within the framework of a party. Parties create internal but isolated unity which almost always divides them from non-party members among the general population. Parties and groups are, by nature, competitive and divisive entities.
Consensus can be built around ideas, around demands, around policies which affect large segments of the society. Once those ideas and policies have been accepted, pursuing their realization is a matter of creative activism among all those who believe in them. We can unite on an issue,