Kishor, sources said, has refused to be part of any Opposition preparations for 2024 polls.
NEW DELHI: Since the politics in Bihar heated up after JDU chief Nitish Kumar switched its alliance to RJD, leaders of the two parties, Kumar and Tejaswi Yadav, are playing an active role in creating a federal front of opposition against the BJP for the coming general elections. However, Prashant Kishor, according to sources, has refused to be part of any preparations for the national elections in 2024. He will focus on his much touted padyatra which is going to start from 2 October.
In a recent meeting between Kishor and Kumar, it is believed that the former had outright rejected any type of political alliance with Kumar and that it was clearly conveyed to Kumar that there was no possibility of the two coming together, “for they both should go separate ways”, Kishor had said.
Niraj Kumar, JDU MLC and state spokesperson, told The Sunday Guardian, “What he wants is not clear, there are only two options: either to fall in line with NDA or UPA; if he says that he does not need the formation of UPA, then where does he stand? He talks about making an ideal situation, and on the other hand, he is involved in hobnobbing. Moreover, by the looks of his working, it doesn’t seem that there is any political activity happening through his formation.” Moreover, Kishor had recently refused to have any meeting with Kumar who is trying his hand at uniting the opposition ranks. The JDU spokesperson added, “Kishor works according to his political ambition. He ran news in the media that they have not met; however, Nitish Kumar said they have met, so who would we believe? After this, Kishor kept quiet and then there was no reply from Kishor. He wants to make such a political aura through which his political clout gets amplified.” In addition to that, Kishor has sufficiently indicated that he wants to go alone in his political venture and make his own political platform. A political analyst at the IPAC said, “Brahmins have also started accepting him more. His coming into politics will “disrupt the electoral politics of the major parties, JDU, RJD and BJP in the state, who have ruled in turns for more than 30 years now.”
Kishor’s group, which is believed to evolve into a political party after the end of the Yatra, will have 200 strong research team which will assess the pulse of people by meeting them and seeking their needs during the yatra. The survey will then be done in detail and a strategy will be formulated to move to the next step. Mostly, it will be development related issues that Kishor wants to have his emphasis on, a source said.
A former minister of one of the major political parties in the state said, “Kishor knows what he is doing and he has the capacity to gauge and tackle the political intricacies. He knows he can spin things in his favour once he has a grip over the pulse of people through this ambitious yatra. It will eventually damage all the minor and major political parties.”