New Delhi: When Prashant Kishor talks, everyone listens.
In a prediction that is likely to attract the Opposition’s attention, the experienced poll strategist said he does not believe that any third or fourth front will be able to win the general elections in India and if a party aspires to defeat the BJP, it has to emerge as the second front.
Asked by a TV news channel if he was helping West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party Trinamool Congress emerge as the third front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Kishor said: “I never believed any third or fourth front can win elections in this country. If we consider BJP the first front, it has to be a second front to defeat the party. If any party wishes to defeat the BJP, it has to emerge as the second front.”
On whether he considered Congress as the ‘second front’, Kishor said ‘no’, adding that it’s the second-largest party in the country.
Kishor had a number of meeting with the Congress leadership and it looked at one time that he was ready to join the party.
Kishor later clarified he had turned down the offer.
“The Congress leadership and I agreed on several things with regard to the party’s future plans. But they can do it on their own, they have so many big leaders. They don’t need me. They offered and I said no,” Kishor said in a recent interview with Aaj Tak.
“What I wanted to tell them, I did. For the first time since 2014, the party has discussed its future in such a structured way… But I had some doubts about the Empowered Action Group, that they wanted me to part of, which would be in charge of implementing changes,” he added.
Kishor said he doesn’t know who will challenge PM Narendra Modi in 2014.
“The state elections cannot predict Lok Sabha election,” he stated.
