Why Prashant Kishor Needs To Be Admired

Everybody loves a winner. As far as you are in the driver's seat (read exalted position), everybody is at your feet. The moment you are out of job, power or money people avoid you…forget you and some even mock you.

Remember November 14, not for Chacha Nehru’s birthday but also for Bihar assembly election results. During the live broadcast of the results, India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai mockingly said …and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party has got a “zero”. Rajdeep was gloating about PK’s loss which I felt was uncharitable for a matured and star anchor like him.

On X, industrialist Harsh Goenka wrote, “Adipurush promised a 600 cr epic…flopped badly! Prithvi Shaw promised Tendulkar 2.0…gone with the wind! Magnetic/Rising/Shining summits promise investment tsunamis ... .end up with very little! And now joins the newest member of this elite club: Prashant Kishor- Bihar 0 seats!”

The way Prashant Kishor or PK as he is popularly known was being trolled and crucified is shocking and surprising! Has he done something sacrilege by entering the poll fray?

Till the other day this poll strategist was a poster boy and media’s darling. Not without reason, he has got his predictions right -- 9 out of 10 times. During the 2021 West Bengal Assembly poll where BJP was sure of dethroning Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, he stuck his neck out and said BJP will not cross the triple-digit mark. He was bang on…BJP won only 77 seats.

Thanks to his strategy many leaders and their parties were successfully elected – Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Captain Amarinder Singh and Arvind Kejriwal. Now, the latest to join the illustrious list is Tamil Nadu actor-turned politician Vijay.

So, what was PK’s mistake?

- That he dared to dream big to change Bihar, his home state.  

- That he dared to invest his time and money for the last three years visiting every district to awaken Biharis

- That he decided to go alone in the polls and not align with the ruling or opposition parties.

- That he openly attacked Nitish Kumar for being mentally and physically unfit

- That he openly attacked RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav for being a school drop out

His key election agenda was education in private schools for those living in villages with the government picking up the tab, employment to stop migration, a dole of Rs 2000 for those above 60 years and subsidised loan at 4% for those wishing to be self-employed.

He comes across as a guy who is cocky and arrogant. That’s because he knows his onions.

Post his election debacle, he admitted in a TV interview to Rahul Kanwal of NDTV, that he was having a sleepless night; he felt his three-year work (read 3,000 km padayatra) would bear result.

Come to think of it, PK had a cushy life as a poll strategist. Between 2021-24, he reportedly earned Rs 241 crore advising political parties in the country. Out of these earnings he donated Rs 98.76 crore to his fledgling political outfit – Jan Suraaj Party.  Clearly, he was walking the talk.

He had fielded 234 candidates -- all well-educated with a certain standing in the society. And, if one goes by the Election Commission’s cap on spending per candidate – Rs 40 lakh then PK’s party has spent Rs 93.60 crore (234 X Rs 40 lakh). In fact, it is rumoured that various political parties spend nearly Rs 10 crore per candidate.

Even if he had invested that amount in government bonds/FD/mutual funds he and his family would have been more than comfortable.

Yet, unlike most people, instead of whining or complaining or debunking the system, politicians, bureaucrats, he decided to do something about it – take the bull by its horn.

Personally, I have seen most of his TV interviews, podcasts and articles published in digital/print space and it’s a pleasure to watch him quote numbers, logic and reasons. His understanding of Indian politics reminds you of KN Govindacharya who was associated with the BJP.

For a man who has got a good understanding of Indian politics and politicians, PK needs to put his head down and work for another 5-7 years raising issues that will transform Bihar and Biharis.  And it will not be surprising if  the kingmaker one day becomes the king.