Some Journalists And Prashant Kishor Had A Clubhouse Conversation, The Contents Are Now Going Viral

Yesterday (April 9), in the late evening hours, the Indian political circuit on Clubhouse witnessed an elaborate discussion on the ongoing West Bengal elections. Moderated by a few journalists, the room on Clubhouse (the equivalent of spaces on Twitter) had Prashant Kishor elaborating on the fight between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Before tweets started coming in about this Clubhouse discussion, Kishor explained how many voting groups are voting predominantly for the BJP in Bengal. Much to the surprise of the journalists present, including an NDTV primetime anchor, Kishor spoke about the damage done by appeasement politics in Bengal.

Kishor also spoke about the resulting polarisation in Bengal, strengthened by the long history of minority appeasement, and how many SC communities are now leaning towards the BJP. He further added that the resentment amongst the majority population was critical in strengthening the prospects of the BJP.

Speaking on the importance of the state election, Kishor remarked that the BJP could afford to lose the election in Bengal, given they could redeem themselves in the elections in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and even 2024. However, Kishor did not mince any words stating the importance of this election for the TMC and other opposition parties, stating that if TMC were to lose, a comeback would be tough in 2024.

Going candid, Kishor elaborated on the importance of women vote for the TMC. Speaking on the situation on the ground, he explained that many pollsters were only relying on feedback from the male voters. However, there was strong women’s support for the TMC, and if there were to be more female voters than male voters in the final count, TMC could hope for a victory, else it would be BJP all the way.

As the tweets about the room started pouring in, one of the journalists on the panel remarked how the discussion was being perceived as a declaration of BJP win by Kishor, much to the dismay of many journalists on the panel, who thought the room was closed. Even Kishor was not aware of the fact that the room was open for public consumption.

Before wrapping the discussion up, Kishor spoke at length about the election commission, media propaganda, and involvement of the forces from the Centre in the election. Dismissing the rhetoric about media supporting Modi, Kishor said that it was important to fight with persisting conditions without blaming secondary stakeholders.

One of the other remarks by Kishor was on the cult of Modi. Addressing the question on Modi’s great connection with the people on the ground, Kishor said that for as many as 25 per cent of the voters in India, Modi was an equivalent of God. While their perception of the prime minister could be debated, there was no doubt about Modi being a favorite amongst the masses in West Bengal.

In what appeared to be a largely serious conversation, there were some inexplicable queries too by the panel.

A leading primetime anchor questioned Kishor on why the voters in West Bengal were not factoring in the anti-incumbency against the BJP in the centre, conveniently ignoring the prevailing resentment against the Left and the TMC from their decades of misrule.

Another journalist questioned Kishor on the private schedule of Mamata Banerjee, including her visits to the restroom. Kishor responded with an awkward silence.

The discussion, which continued for over an hour, is now being shared in the form of short video clips on Twitter and WhatsApp and is expected to create a political storm as another phase of polling goes underway in West Bengal.