Patna: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has once again made the headlines after meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Soon after the meeting, the murmuring also started in Bihar on the issue of Kishor joining Congress.
The meeting with Sonia Gandhi twice a week is seen as a strategy to revive the party ahead of the 2024 general election and also to strengthen Congress in those states where it is struggling including Bihar. Though the close door meeting was held with senior leaders of the party including Sonia's daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the issue of strengthening Congress remained the core issue as per sources.
The meeting assumes significance in the context of Bihar as well because PK was once the second man of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Both worked together for quite some time and Nitish had even made him JDU national vice president.
However, the differences in the opinion of Nitish and PK made a huge gap between them. It all started when Kishor had taken an opposite stand on the Citizenship Amendment Act after JDU supported it in 2020. Kishor had raised the objection and stated that only Nitish could tell why they supported the bill. Later, Nitish had also reacted sharply to Kishor and had said that he was inducted into the JDU on the behest of Amit Shah, the then BJP president.
Two years down the line, things have started moving smoothly with PK and Nitish after they both met in Delhi a few months ago. Nitish too admitted that he has good relations with PK at a personal level but does not interfere in anyone's political decisions.
Nitish had reacted on Monday at the sidelines of his weekly Janata Durbar when reporters asked him about the Kishor meeting with Sonia Gandhi and joining Congress.
The latest development related to PK has a strong message for Bihar as well and a lot of political moves depend on the further strategy. The big question arises that how Nitish will continue his relationship with PK in Bihar if he joins the fold of Congress and what changes would be brought in the grand old party in the state.
Congress legislature party leader Ajit Sharma told ETV Bharat that Prashant Kishor is most welcome in the party if he decides to join Congress. On the issue of Nitish having good personal relations with Kishor, the CLP leader said that every politician had good relations with others on a personal level.
“We are ready to welcome anyone who is eager to join Congress. Prashant Kishor is a very good poll strategist and even BJP and JDU had taken the benefit of his talent. I accept that Congress is not strong in Bihar due to our mistakes and many leaders have left us. I also accept that we made a mistake in not choosing the right candidate in the Bochaha by-poll. Even the opinions of MLAs were not taken before giving tickets. If the Congress state present will take all the MLAs in confidence, I am sure Congress will become stronger in Bihar. Prashant Kishor is coming not only to make a strategy for Bihar but for the entire country and we will also get the benefit,” Sharma asserted.
He further said, “Even I had good relations with Nitish Ji and Lalu Prasad Ji. Personal relations are different and we all should have good personal relations with everyone in a democracy. However, politically we must fight for the country as the NDA government has failed to provide relief to farmers, unemployment issue is not tackled, heath infrastructure has gone for a toss and many other issues.”
Kishor is an election specialist by profession and has experience working with many political parties. It all started in 2014 when he made the strategy for the BJP. He did something similar in 2017 for Congress in the Uttar Pradesh poll and for YSR in 2019. He was once also involved with AAP and TMC.
JDU on other hand reacted sharply to the issue of PK joining Congress giving not much weightage to the issue.
“What Prashant Kishor does in Congress is absolutely irrelevant to JDU. If he has any consequential or inconsequential effects on Congress from his joining, the call has to be taken by the Congress party. He has nothing to do with JDU anymore,” JDU leader Ajay Alok said.
BJP OBC Morcha's national general secretary-cum-Bihar BJP spokesperson Dr. Nikhil Anand said, “Since the family-backed powerhouse has failed miserably, the age-old Congress party has lost its fuse. It's really a difficult task to light up a fused bulb by purchasing either a generator or inverter. No political organization can be run successfully through hired professionals.”
Political expert Dr. Sanjay Kumar however has a different view on PK claiming that Congress will become strong if PK manages to intact the traditional voters of the party.
“Upper castes were once the traditional voters of Congress party but they have now shifted to BJP. On the other hand, Muslims will always cast a vote against BJP but they too have shifted towards RJD. These two vote banks were earlier occupied by the Congress and both have shown their loyalties to non-Congress parties. Even a good chunk of Dalits should be wooed back. If Prashant Kishor manages to bring all upper caste, Muslims, and Dalits under the fold of Congress, then the party will surely become strong. Today, Congress is totally dependent on RJD and if PK brings any change then Congress need not survive on the mercy of anyone rather than becoming a self-independent party,” Dr. Sanjay stressed.
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