As BJP Surges In Bengal, Mamata Banerjee Ropes in Prashant Kishor To Help Her Strategise

In a bid to help her counter the strong political challenge emerging from the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has roped in election strategist Prashant Kishor.

Kishor, who shot into prominence as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign team in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, was recently credited with strategising YSR Congress Party’s (YSRCP) landslide victory in Andhra Pradesh dethroning Telegu Desam Party (TDP) and ousting Chandrababu Naidu from the office of the Chief Minister. The YSR Congress Party stormed to power by winning 151 seats in 175-member Assembly.

Kishor is said to have commenced his consulting work with YSRCP in 2017.

In the run up to the 2014 election campaign that catapulted Modi as prime minister, Kishor is said to played a key role in conceptualising innovative outreach ideas like “chai pe charcha” (chat over tea) and 3D hologram rallies.

After parting wasy with Modi, Kishor joined forces with Nitish Kumar and helped Nitish Kum run a successful reelection bid in 2015 Bihar elections. Nitish’s JD(U) was then allied with Lalu Prasad’s Yadav’s RJD.

Kishor worked with the Congress party as part of its effort to revive its fortune in Uttar Pradesh but aborted the effort midway.

In 2015, Prashant Kishor had received feelers from Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress for helping her campaign in the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections.