New Delhi: After fallout with both BJP and Congress, political strategist Prashant Kishor has hinted that he is all set to take the political plunge and would start this new journey from his home State Bihar.
He posted a tweet in which he said it is time for him to go to the people’s court to better understand the issues.
There is speculation that he could launch a new political party, with an announcement coming as early as 5 May.
His quest to be a meaningful participant in democracy and help shape pro-people policy led to a 10-year roller-coaster ride, Kishor said in a tweet.
The move didnāt elicit much surprise from political watchers in the state. Not only has the 45-year-old been toying with the idea of entering politics in his home state for some time (he was born in Sasaram), the announcement has come at a time when Bihar is in a state of flux.
The cryptic message came a week after he declined a Congress offer to come on board as a member of a committee that would work on the 2024 general elections. Sources said he wanted a free hand to bring big bang changes and not incremental ones, as the Congress was keen on.
Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand tore into the strategist saying: ‘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.’
A few leaders of the JD-U, of which Kishor was a part, accused him of brainwashing LJPās Chirag Paswan against CM Nitish Kumar, affecting the party adversely in the 2020 Assembly poll. ‘He has no grassroots support,’ they said, citing the case of an earlier project āBaat Bihar Kiā. Observers, in fact, believe he may ultimately rejoin the JD-U.
In the last 10 years, Prashant Kishor has been associated with several parties as a political strategist. He helped Mamata Banerjee retain West Bengal in 2021 despite a very strong and spirited campaign by the BJP.