TRS chief KCR's national ambitions, his risk-taking tendency, and unwillingness to give up control to Kishor's IPAC were points of friction.
Tejashwi Yadav, KCR, and Nitish Kumar in Patna. (Supplied)
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, or PK as he is known in political circles, is learning the hard way that he can’t simultaneously serve political parties with varied and, sometimes, contradictory interests.
And, not surprisingly, his honeymoon with the ruling TRS in Telangana is ending sooner than expected, with his team all set to pack their bags and wind up operations in the state which is headed to polls in 2023.
From a 300-plus team that was set up a few months ago, sources told South First that only skeletal operations are being done by Kishor’s IPAC now, and even that is expected to stop soon.
The points of friction between Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and PK are said to be primarily the following:
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor. (Supplied)
Though IPAC was initially onboarded to strategise for the upcoming Assembly elections, KCR soon revealed his national ambitions and wanted PK to come up with a state-by-state plan.
Kishor’s difficulty stems from the fact that he operates with different political parties in different states, all of them not necessarily in line with KCR’s plans, which could potentially cause him problems in the long run.
Political watchers were, in fact, surprised when KCR announced some months ago that the TRS has decided to utilise the services of IPAC.
Not someone known to indulge in broad-ranging consultations with his own party leaders, including seniors, and a leader who prefers to draw up strategies himself — always preferring a gambit with a bit of risk — many wondered what IPAC would have to offer to him.
It did not take long for PK to realise that he cannot have his way in Telangana, at least not in the way he managed elsewhere, with KCR not lending his ear to any local inputs.
For example, IPAC was said to have suggested that at least 30-40 sitting legislators be replaced with new faces in the 2023 elections. That this is needed is no news to KCR, despite his remarks that all incumbent MLAs will be renominated, with a rider that they should pull up their socks.
“KCR is a risk-taker and not someone who plays it safe. He was among the regional leaders who were soft towards the BJP in the previous term. And now he is the most vociferous critic of the ruling party at the Centre. That’s how he is made as a politician,” a senior TRS leader told South First.
“One can’t change him, more so because his thought process undergoes a continuous churning and he alone can fathom it,” he added.
The TRS is also said to be not-so-comfortable with information flowing in that PK has been trying to revive his links with the BJP after the changed political situation in Bihar.
Also, he continues to work for the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh whose leader, Jagan Mohan Reddy, continues to be on the right side of the BJP.
