Election strategist Prashant Kishor, who made news recently for futile attempts to join hands with the Congress as a full-time party member, on Monday indicated that he may launch a political outfit. He is likely to announce the same on Thursday in Bihar. Kishor took to Twitter to share his plans.
“My quest to be a meaningful participant in democracy & help shape pro-people policy led to a 10yr rollercoaster ride! As I turn the page, time to go to the Real Masters, THE PEOPLE, to better understand the issues & the path to “Jan Suraj” — Peoples Good Governance to begin from Bihar,” tweeted Kishor, revealing that he had chosen Bihar to end his sabbatical.
Kishor’s “roller coaster ride” saw him working with clients as diverse as Narendra Modi, Mamata Banerjee, Jagan Mohan Reddy, MK Stalin, and others. The Twitter post indicated his turn towards active politics in his home state.
According to I-PAC, the political consultancy firm founded by Kishor, he is likely to come out with more details about his future project at a press conference on May 5.
After giving a big win to retain Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal against the massive BJP election campaign a year ago, Kishor had said he would “quit the space”.
Kishor is in Patna for meetings with like-minded parties and leaders. He had earlier launched an initiative called “Baat Bihar Ki” to gauge the mood of the state.
Kishor, who had been with the JD(U) briefly and was on the verge of joining the Congress recently, is likely to address a Press conference on Thursday where he will announce his next move amid speculation about whether he will launch a political party or just an outreach programme.
PK had joined Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) in 2018 but was expelled in 2020 due to sharp differences with Kumar over their conflicting views on a host of issues like the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as he took a strong anti-BJP stand.
Following his ouster, Kishor launched an independent project "Baat Bihar Ki" (Conversation About Bihar) in February 2020. The imitative remained a nonstarter as he turned to election consultancy.
The BJP took a swipe at Kishor's announcement. Former Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said any new political party has no future in Bihar. State BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand hit out at PK calling him a power broker.
"Prashant Kishor is neither a social scientist nor a political scientist. He is a power broker and a middleman. He can be nothing more than a vote katwa (spoiler) in Bihar politics,” Nikhil Anand said.
RJD spokesperson Ejaj Ahmed said Kishor should disclose his relationship with Home Minister Amit Shah and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar first, and then talk about Jan-Suraaj in the State.
“When JD(U) sacked Prashant Kishor, Nitish Kumar said that he had included him on the recommendation of Amit Shah before the 2015 assembly election of Bihar. Now, he should clarify whether his relations with Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar are the same or not. So far, Prashant Kishor has not given any clarification on this matter,” Ahmed said.
Former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu gave his best wishes to Kishor on his new endeavor, saying a “good beginning always makes a good ending”. “The first blow is half the battle, my friend… A good beginning always makes a good ending… Best always in your sincere efforts to honour the spirit of our Constitution… 'The power of people must return to the people', manifold…," Sidhu said in a tweet.
JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi was more circumspect and said everyone is free to start a political outfit but added that the agenda of "good governance" belongs to the NDA government headed by Nitish Kumar who has built roads, schools, and hospitals and taken the state on the path to development after the RJD's "misrule".