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Gogoi, Mamata trying to rope in strategist behind GA’s Bihar victory
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi might be polar opposites but they have one thing in common — both of them are trying to rope in the brain behind Grand Alliance’s sweep in Bihar.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her Assam counterpart Tarun Gogoi might be polar opposites but they have one thing in common — both of them are trying to rope in the brain behind Grand Alliance’s sweep in Bihar.
Prashant Kishor, 38, played an instrumental role in formulating the Grand Alliance’s campaigns which eventually paid dividend.
While a top congress leader told HT that they were expecting Kishor to assist them, Kishor’s aides said he was yet to make up his mind about which side he will join. “He is headed for a vacation after the Bihar elections,” one of Kishor’s close aides said.
Kishor not only managed Nitish’s social media during the elections but also took calls on important matters. “Contrary to public perception, Kishor was the director and Lalu and Nitish were actors. They were doing what the script prepared by Kishor told them to do,” a JD(U) member said.
Those close to Kishor believe that he would not join any party if it meant compromising on his way of functioning.
“He would not take up any future assignment without getting the kind of space Nitish and Lalu gave him,” an associate of Kishor said. People who work with Kishor said the strategist would not associate with a political party without getting it to agree to his group’s terms.
“We are not a company that can be hired. We are a group of people, who have left lucrative jobs for the passion of working for certain individual politicians whom they consider as good for democracy. In Bihar we did not get paid by Nitish. Nor it was the case with Modi in 2014. It would not be the consideration even in the future,” said a loyalist who worked with Kishor for both Modi and Nitish.
