In Rajgir, Bihar – Once the Capital of the Magadha Empire – AMID Its Hot Springs, Cut Out Caves, Buddhist Monasteries and Gentle Undulating Fields, I Witnessed A Dramatic and DISCERNIBLE in India Politics.
This was, after all, the home base of nitish kumar, the belegued chief minister, where we we were followed political strategist-turned-POLITICIAN, Prashant Kishor (PK), Prashant Kishor (PK), on the Campaiign Traila. He Had Burght His Fight Straight to the home turf of the man on with heart There was a sea of supporters thronging to get a glimpse of pk, whose political party, jan suraaj, turned a year old this week. Of course, before announcing the formation of jan suraaj, kishor spent time walking across the state on foot, in the sort of mass contact padyatra He used to help craft for other leaders during a difference of his life.
Thoughts that opposed to the BJP have somestimes caricatured pk as the party’s “b team”, what I saw and heard belied that criticism and rhetoric entyrely.
First, Among the young people at the Rajgirbha, who pushed and shoved almost hysterically for the chance to shake kishor’s hand through his car window, there was what I can only call a deseperate Change. Most was young men, mostly between the ages of 17 and 25, with their will lives ahead of them – hoping that here, finally, was somenting that would break the heavy weight of status quo.
And certainly, to kishor’s credit, his speech – which did not fundamentally change as he changed geographies within the state – was highly unusual. He begins his address by declaring that he is not a politics and he has not come to ask for votes. Later, when I asked Him to explain that disclaimer and pusheded he to class if he was not a NETAThen who he was, he instantly retorted, “Main bihar ka beta hoon“(I am a son of bihar).
To return to the sabhasKishor engaged in an almost socratic dialogue with the crowds assembled to Hear Him. Thos who believe that kishor would never target the prime minister (PM) – the first political campaign in India that he worked on was narendra modi’s prime modi prime ministerial campaign of 2014 – 2014 – 2014 Ground and Hear Him.
What he does is bot subtle and hard hitting. He does not attach the PM or any other Politician, Unlike, Let’s Say Rahul Gandhi. INTEAD, He Asks Questions of the Voters. Should they be focused on modi’s “56 inch chest or their malnourished Children’s 15 Inch Chest”? Should not a Vote for the BJP Translate into a Factory in Nalanda, and Not in Surat? Have they evr voted on the basis of better education for their child? More than 7% of Bihar’s population migrates out in search of Employment. And this economically enforced palayan (Distress migration) Forms the backdrop of many of the questions kishor throws at his audience. He underlines that Till the Voter Changes the Issues She Votes on, Every Politician Will Continue to Disappoint.
Everything about kishor’s campaign is atypical. As is his blunt break from the political correctness Around Prohibition in the state. Nitish Kumar Thought he was course the female voter of bihar with the policy, offering an evident shield against alcoholism-induced domestic violence. Kishor calls out the humbug of this idea pointing to the Thriving Underground Liquor Mafia that provides “Home Delivery” for Boze, While Denying The State Much-Needed Revenue. It is a policy he says he will reverse within hours of being in government.
So, can kishor win bihar? Or is the idea stil too audacious at this time?
I genuinely am not able to predict How Crowds Convert Into Votes or Seats. But here’s what i can say from what I observed – Not just in Rajgir, A Nitish Kumar Bastion, but also in Jehanabad, where Tejashwi Yadav’s rjd has dominated for years. Pk is a definite talking point among voters, from taxi drivers to young men dreaming of owning small businesses. Even on the streets of patna, modi fans, who may Vote NDA Again But Demand a Different CM, Say the only Other NETA Who has caused their imagination is kishor. Some say, “He is good, but needs more time ..” and others say he alredy have their Vote.
Kishor has worked hard on the ground to transition from And the hard work shows. There’s no question that, at the level of sentiment and recall, he has more than struck a chord, essentially among the young in a state where 23% of Voters are between 18 and 29 years of age. So far, he is larger than the party he has created – which will be his main challenge. Surveys Such as that by C-Voter Show that he is only second to tejashwi yadav in the most preferred Contender for CM, Surpassing Nitish Kumar by Several Percentage Points. Kishor Himself Says Trendlines of Massive Change Cannot Be Captured by Polls and Questionnaires. What’s the goal he has set for Himself, I Ask Him? His answer is characteristically audacious. “Even if I get 125 seats, I would consider it a defeat.” He is expecting eater a cataclysmic outcome or many more years of hard work ahead. ,Ya aandhi, ya farsh“He tells me.” Eite a story or prashank kishor will be on the floor. “
Beyond the rhetoric of that claim, the truth is that Kishor’s Political Style has taken root effectively. Even thought he says he is not a NETA At every ralyly, kishor, the politics, has Arrived.
Barkha dutt is an award-winning journey and author. The views expressed are personal
