After Trinamool Congress’ rather unexpected, poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress boss Mamata Banerjee today got into an agreement with poll strategist Prashant Kishor.
The agreement was formalised during an hour and forty minutes meeting at the state administrative headquarters, Nabanna. The Trinamool Congress won 22 out of the 42 seats in the state, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 18 seats in the Lok Sabha polls last month. Trinamool had won from 34 seats in the last national elections.
Since the results were announced, there has been string of incidents of violence from all over the state – clashes have continued between the BJP and Trinamool Congress. Banerjee has also been “greeted” with “Jai Shree Ram” twice by BJP supporters, when she lost her cool. Party insiders feel that under this backdrop, a major step required to be taken if the Trinamool means to succeed in the days ahead.
Therefore, the agreement between Prashant Kishor and Trinamool Congress for its poll strategies for 2021 is being seen as a positive step by the party members who are looking forward to a way to breathe new life into the party.
Prashant Kishor is credited with the success of various heavyweight political leaders in various elections in the past, the most recent being Jagan Mohan Reddy’s victory in Andhra Pradesh. He is behind YSR Congress chief Jagan Reddy’s sweep in the elections in Andhra Pradesh, where chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s party was voted out of power.
Prashant Kishor is the man behind Narendra Modi’s huge campaigns in 2014 and for Nitish Kumar’s win in Bihar in 2015.
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Kishor joined politics last year, as the vice president of Bihar’s ruling Janata Dal United (JDU).
