It’s Party Time for Prashant Kishor
Nitish Kumar calls him the ‘future’ of JD(U), but the poll strategist should know that in the Bihar CM’s universe, the only certainty is uncertainty
When poll strategist Prashant Kishor— the man credited for the electoral successes of Narendra Modi in 2014 and the JD(U)-RJD-Congress grand alliance in the 2015 Bihar assembly election—decided to formally join the JD(U) on September 16, the venue selected for the occasion was 1, Aney Marg, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s official bungalow in Patna. Nitish, who is also the JD(U) national president, himself handed over the membership receipt to Kishor, making it abundantly clear that the poll strategist-turned-politician will be placed high in the party’s pecking order.
“He is the future of the party,” Nitish said about Kishor. Several JD(U) insiders are reading
the statement as early signs of a succession plan in the party. For Kishor, too, the timing couldn’t have been better. RJD chief Lalu Prasad is in jail and his son Tejashwi is a leader in the making. Kishor will want to take advantage of the leadership vacuum in Bihar at a time when Nitish’s political equity has seen a slide—the Opposition has been cornering the Bihar CM over poor governance, and ally BJP is unlikely to yield enough space to the JD(U) in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Nitish needs someone who can be his trusted communication line with the BJP, RJD and Congress for any equation that may ensure his political survival. And who better than Kishor—he enjoys easy access to BJP president Amit Shah, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and RJD boss Lalu Prasad. To many JD(U) leaders, Kishor’s presence will give the party much-needed confidence to match the scale of ally BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign.
Kishor’s aides claim his presence will reduce Nitish’s dependence on the BJP. “Kishor is a Brahmin who can attract upper caste votes, neutralising the BJP’s influence,” says an aide. “Nitish has a mass following among the non-Yadav EBCs
(economically backward classes). The party will now try to woo back the minorities who supported Nitish in the 2009 elections. Imagine the force when these groups come together.”
Kishor has acceptance among a wide section of JD(U) leaders, though many are apprehensive that he may ultimately eclipse some bigwigs. Known for his sharp electoral assessments, Kishor’s association with the JD(U) for the 2015 assembly elections saw many party stalwarts being informally downgraded. One leader whose position may be at risk is Rajya Sabha member R.C.P. Singh. There is a perception that he failed to deliver as a strategist in the bypolls held this year.
Kishor’s critics, however, are sceptical about his long-term prospects in the JD(U). After the 2015 victory, Nitish had appointed Kishor as his advisor with a cabinet rank. But the two parted ways after Nitish joined hands with the BJP. The opposition in Bihar has been quick to dismiss Kishor’s political avatar. “The move will not save the NDA from getting wiped out in Bihar in the next election,” claims Abdul Bari Siddiqui, a senior RJD leader. Certainly, the next poll will test Kishor. As a strategist, he helped Modi become the prime minister in 2014, Nitish retain power in 2015 and ensured a landslide for Amarinder Singh in the 2017 Punjab assembly polls. But then, he also failed miserably as a strategist for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.
KISHOR’S AIDES CLAIM HIS PRESENCE WILL REDUCE NITISH’S BJP DEPENDENCE