Prashant Kishor (PK) has finally hinted at his new political innings. Days after he declined an offer to join the Congress, the erstwhile poll strategist took to Twitter on Monday, 2 May, and said he would be starting his new political journey from Bihar.
PK had set a deadline of 2 May to decide on his next move. This announcement by Prashant Kishor, who has played the role of Chanakya in Indian politics for the last 10 years, has created a stir in political circles.
So, what exactly is PK's plan?
PK's New Office, Blueprint Seems To Be Ready
A person who has been associated with the Political Intelligence Section of PK's company I-PAC for the last one and a half years said on the condition of anonymity that the blueprint of Prashant's new party, like every other election campaign of his, was completely ready on paper.
He further said that the name of Prashant Kishor's party would be the same as the one that he mentioned in his tweet – 'Jana Suraj'. Kishor had held discussions on deciding the party's name with select members of his core team. However, Kishor himself decided on the name.
The source further said, "The date for making this idea public was fixed for the near future. However, after the Congress episode, in a tweet, Prashant sir set the deadline of 2 May for this and hinted at entering politics. For the last three days, he held multiple discussions with the main members of the Wings Political Operations team, Creative Team, members from Strategic Research, Data Analyst, Social Media, and Political Intelligence, who are likely to become key participants in his expansion plans. There was a lot of stir on this when he reached Patna. So many things had started leaking to the media. He must have thought of tweeting this on 2 May just two or three days back."
The source said that PK had also spoken to his colleagues about the party's formal launch, and preparations for the same are currently underway. The party is set to be launched in Patna itself, where its three-floor luxurious office is also ready. Some teams have already started working from the office and are now doing election analysis work and watching the functions related to the new party. Several of his I-PAC companions will also be seen in the new party.
Bihar Is Not the Only Target
In his tweet, Prashant Kishor wrote 'Starting from Bihar', making it clear that he has no intentions of limiting his party only to the state. Instead, he has a vision of spreading it further across the country on the lines of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party.
Prashant Kishor's experience as a poll strategist is not limited to Bihar. He has handled the campaigns of several parties in more than a dozen states, helping them to electoral victory.
He understands the pulse of the nation and issues of the country. Hence, it can't be denied that Prashant Kishor has a vision of expanding his party across the country.
Will Find Future Leaders Through Tests, Interviews
Prashant Kishor had started preparing for this three to four months ago. On the 'Youth in Politics' page made on social media, he had indicated his ambitious plan by appealing to the youth to join him in politics. Promising a platform for the youth to join active politics under the guidance of Prashant Kishor, he had asked them to fill out an online form.
Prashant Kishor's photo was also used for this campaign. This form is present on other social media pages related to Prashant Kishor.
Another member of Team PK associated with this campaign said they would call all those who fill out the registration form on the website. The candidates would also be asked to take a test. A person would be trained as per his or her ability or interest. Prashant Kishor would also have a one-on-one meeting with some of the promising candidates, and the youth would be given a lead role in campaigns.
In fact, in 2018, when Prashant Kishor was with JDU (Janata Dal United), he did a similar experiment to connect with one lakh youth in politics. He had conducted a written examination and interviews to involve the youth of Bihar in the party. He would likely be doing a similar thing this time around.
Hints Were Given in February Itself
Kishor had revealed his strategy during a press conference in February at I-PAC's office in Patna, where he had mentioned one of his proposed visits named "Baat Bihar Ki". There he had rejected the idea of forming a political party. However, all the signs were showing otherwise.
Giving a vision of his political activism, he said, "We are creating an organization of such youth of Bihar whose dream is to bring it among the top ten states of the country. So far, we have managed to connect with two lakh 93 thousand such youth. Our target is to connect with one crore youth in the next three months."
When asked what these youth would do by joining him, Prashant Kishor said that they would make everyone political leaders and start this from the Panchayat level.
"These youths will first become Mukhiya, Sarpanch and District Councillors, and then automatically, they will become MPs, MLAs and Ministers. We aim to elect 10 thousand chiefs from all the panchayats of Bihar. Our focus will be on connecting with at least one crore youth for the next three months. We have to travel all over Bihar, and then after three months, we will announce how far we have been successful," PK had said.
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