Much before the Bihar elections, Nitish Kumar made the first dent in the Bharatiya Janata Party when he got Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election strategist Prashant Kishor with him. The man, who had once crafted Modi’s victory in the lok Sabha election, interestingly, became one of the reasons for his loss in Bihar.
A Bihari from Buxar, Kishor easily went along with Nitish as he personally believes that the Bihar Chief Minister is a “credible politician”. From back stage planning to war room management, Kishor took great care at even minute levels to coordinate and ensure Mahagathbandhan’s electioneering does not go haywire. A source said that at one seat where lalu Prasad was reluctant to campaign for a Bhumihar candidate who had murdered a Yadav, it was Kishor who convinced the RJD chief to go and seek vote in his own name.
Kishore kept a close watch on Modi’s rallies and hundreds of his team members explored the reaction of the people who went to listen to the Prime Minister. He would also prepare point-by-point rebuttal to the charges levelled by the Prime Minister against Nitish Kumar. That was the reason Nitish was ready with response to PM’s barb soon after winding up his daily campaign.
Despite conflicting poll prediction, Prashant was sure that Nitish was going to score a resounding victory. He had reportedly asked the party leaders and cadres to prepare for celebrations days in advance. Even when Today’s Chankaya injected a dose of suspense by projecting a runaway win for the BJP, Prashant stood his ground and told the party insiders that the Grand Alliance would not get less than 145 seats.
Kishore micromanaged campaigns, discussions and social media. In response to Modi’s Chai pe Charcha, Kishore gave Nitish an edge with Parcha pe Charcha where people were asked to comment on the manifesto and Nitish Government’s performance over the last ten years. Then came “Har Ghar Dastak” to help Nitish connect with the people more directly and have a greater outreach. Between March and October, Kishor and his team positioned Nitish versus Modi in a battle of personalities. Suddenly, the controversies and anti-incumbency surrounding Nitish evaporated and he got down to some serious answering to Modi. While Nitish Kumar became a man with a hat-trick, Prashant Kishor has emerged as the magician who pulls out rabbit from hat.