PK should remember it’s not always easy to walk the talk

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s Monday morning tweet — cleverly framed and deliberately ambiguous — shows his intent to launch a political outfit. The expression “ Time to go to the Real Masters, THE PEOPLE, to better understand the issues & the path to “jan suraaj” Peoples Good Governance”  is clear as far as it goes to show his desire to take a plunge into active power politics. But Kishor has left it vague on how he wants to do it. Whether he would go for a national-level political party or a Bihar-specific outfit? It’s expected that when Kishore holds a Press conference in Patna, most probably on May 5, he would answer questions on the agenda of his party. Needless to say that as a consultant it’ was relatively easy for PK to chalk out election strategy for a party that has its own structure and cadres, but it could be a demanding task for him to float his own outfit, raise resources, mobilize the cadres, give a  narrative,  and contest polls.

Kishor recently said that a regional party like AAP would need at least 20 years to become a national alternative to the BJP. Going by the fact that AAP already rules in Delhi and Punjab, and PK has to yet cut his teeth into active politics, at best Kishor could come up with a State-level party and hope to gradually expand it. No one can deny that Kishor is well-networked and capable of drawing hundreds of influential leaders from different parts of the country. But if Kishor tries to go for a national outfit, he will have to stop working for other political parties, and his money-spinning outfit, I-PAC,  will lose huge revenue that sustains his infrastructure. That’s not the only challenge. Kishor will always be on the watch, and any failure will dent his charisma and lead to the erosion of his credibility. At the same time, Kishor will face a daunting task in making any inroads in the caste-ridden politics of Bihar, where both the NDA and RJD-led alliance have committed voters. There is hardly any space available for him to straightaway get a toehold in the state’s politics. It’ll be interesting to see how PK practices what he preaches the best. It’s not always easy to walk the talk.