Ex Aide Prashant Kishor’s “Teflon” Dig At Nitish Kumar As He Takes Oath

Patna:

Numbers present that Nitish Kumar’s picture isn’t “teflon-coated”, election strategist Prashant Kishor instructed NDTV hours forward of the ceremony during which the Janata Dal United chief took oath as Bihar Chief Minister for the eighth time.

Mr Kishor, who was earlier part of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), was talking after a day of excessive drama within the politically important state that noticed Mr Kumar stroll out of the alliance with the BJP and tie up with Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal. The BJP has accused Mr Kumar of betraying the general public mandate and careworn that voters is not going to forgive him.

To a question on whether or not Nitish Kumar continues to be as well-liked as he was 5 years in the past, Mr Kishor stated, “When you take a look at the exhausting information, there’s a enormous distinction. In 2010, he had 117 MLAs, in 2015 he had 72 and now 43. Many political commentators say his picture is teflon-coated. The numbers do not present that.” 

He added that’s how the Grand Alliance 2.0 works in Bihar over the subsequent few months that might decide its influence on the 2024 normal election. “If the formation is efficient in delivering what individuals count on them to, they are going to be a formidable power. If they don’t seem to be capable of govern effectively, it might develop into an obstacle to then in 2024,” Mr Kishor instructed NDTV.

Stressing that the Grand Alliance 2.0 is “very totally different” from its 2015 version, he stated, “This isn’t the identical as 2015. In 2015, there was a mandate to manipulate. This formation of Mahagathbandhan isn’t that. That formation had an extrapolation past Bihar.”

The 2015 Mahagathbandhan led by RJD and JDU had registered a decisive victory over the BJP. Nevertheless, two years later, Nitish Kumar had walked out of the alliance over corruption prices towards Tejashwi Yadav and joined palms with the BJP.

“In 2015, a brand new experiment was taken to the individuals. There may be nothing of that kind now. The mandate was with NDA, however now a brand new formation is in place,” Mr Kishore stated. “I’m not saying it’s an opportunistic formation, simply stating information. This formation has seven events and no mandate. There’s a enormous distinction between the 2,” he added.

Nitish Kumar’s sudden transfer has sparked hypothesis that the JDU chief needs to make a splash for the Prime Minister’s submit within the 2024 normal election.

Requested if Mr Kumar is a reputable face for the highest submit, Mr Kishor stated, “I’ve not heard about Nitish Kumar pitching himself as one of many contenders (for PM submit). I’ve not heard even the opposite constituents of Opposition coming collectively and telling that this can be a path they wish to take. What we’re listening to is quite a lot of hypothesis. So, let this ‘perhaps’ quiet down.”

“Let individuals decide who has the flexibility to turn out to be the Prime Minister. Even to turn out to be a contender, quite a lot of events need to agree. It’s a perform of recognition,” he added.

Mr Kishor had joined the Nitish Kumar-led occasion in 2018 however was sacked two years in a while the bottom of indiscipline. Requested if there may be any probability of a political rapprochement with JDU, Mr Kishor stated, “It isn’t on the desk in any respect. I’m doing my work, he’s doing his. A political formation will survive provided that individuals’s lives turn out to be higher. In any other case, that is the sixth try at a brand new formation previously 10 years. If individuals are not pleased, any political formation is certain to break down.”