BJP “leaks” Trinamool poll strategist PK’s conversation on Modi, Matua & minority factors

Amit Malviya, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s information technology national head, on Saturday posted on social media some “leaked” conversation between Trinamool Congress’ poll strategist Prashant Kishor and some journalists in Delhi in which the latter is heard talking about various factors in favour of the BJP in context of the ongoing Bengal Assembly elections.

After parts of the conversation were posted by Malviya on his Twitter account, Kishor took to Twitter to say that the BJP should share the full chat instead of “selective” parts of it. He also reiterated what he had tweeted earlier – that BJP won’t get 100 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections in West Bengal. This makes it clear that Kishor is confirming the authenticity of the audio released by the BJP.

In the “leaked” conversation, Kishor is heard saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds huge influence among the electorate in Bengal, and people have positive feelings about the BJP as “they have not got a taste” of the party in Bengal. He is also heard speaking about the non-Bengali and Dalit voters favouring the BJP.

Kishor also speaks about “minority appeasement” by all political parties – the Congress, Left and “Didi”, and says that whichever party got minority votes came to power, and this is a “reality impossible to deny”. He is also heard saying that 50-55 per cent of the Hindu votes will go to the BJP. Kishor also talks about a majority of Matua votes going to the BJP. Trinamool’s poll strategist also talks about the fact that the BJP does have grassroots level workers, and therefore good organisational support. He says that these workers may have gone to the BJP from the Left parties, but the reality is that apart from a few places, BJP has organisational strength almost everywhere in the state.

Kishor mentioned in his tweet that the BJP should release the full conversation, and reiterated his position that the BJP won’t cross 100 seats out of 294 seats in the Bengal assembly polls. On Twitter, he wrote: “I am glad BJP is taking my chat more seriously than words of their own leaders! They should show courage & share the full chat instead of getting excited with selective use of parts of it. I have said this before & repeating again – BJP will not cross 100 in WB. Period.”