Prashant Kishor: Strategist behind Trinamool's election victory says 'quitting this space'

Kolkata: Barring occasional interviews with the news media, he works rather quietly in his election war room or is seated obscurely among throngs of party workers and leaders listening intently to them.

Yet, the "Man of the Match" sobriquet has often been bestowed upon Prashant Kishor for his role in winning for towering leaders across parties an election game. And West Bengal was no different.

"..., in reality BJP will struggle to cross double digits in #WestBengal," he had tweeted as early as December last year and his words proved prophetic.

"If BJP does any better, I must quit this space!" the poll strategist added, a statement was perceived as bravado by many given the BJP's impressive gains in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Bengal and its energetic, high-decibel campaign for the Assembly polls.

On Sunday, despite the massive anticipated victory of the TMC, Kishor announced on national TV he will quit strategising for political parties.

"I am quitting this space," he told TV channels. "I do not want to continue what I am doing. I have done enough. It is time for me to take a break and do something else in life."

Prashant Kishor or simply PK, as he is called by his team members, started working for the TMC at the request of party supremo Mamata Banerjee soon after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when the BJP won 18 of the state's 42 seats and the ruling party appeared losing its grip on the state.

Realising, that there was a groundswell of anger against several lower-level TMC leaders who were often accused of petty corruption in the execution of public welfare schemes, Kishor designed the 'Didi Ke Bolo' (Tell Didi) campaign under which citizens could directly approach Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with their grievances.

"PK's programme became popular and acted as a safety valve allowing popular steam to come out," said Rajat Roy, political analyst and member, Calcutta Research Group.

The strategist, in his early forties, has loads of experience in successfully crafting election strategies, including Narendra Modi's first prime ministerial campaign in 2014 when he was the Gujarat chief minister.