Kolkata: Desperate to save her green bastion from the BJP in West Bengal in the coming Assembly elections in 2021, Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee has roped in political strategist Prashant Kishor, the architect behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sweeping 2014 victory at the Centre and many other leaders in their states in the past couple of years, to redesign her party’s electoral formula in wake of the drubbing by the saffron party in the Lok Sabha polls.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr Kishor met the Chief Minister at Nabanna, the state secretariat. Their discussion lasted around two hours, and sources said he has agreed to work with her for the next two years, adding that a deal has been finalised. Two-time Trinamul MP of Diamond Harbour Abhishek Banerjee, the CM’s nephew, was also present at the meeting that started at around 3 pm. Both sides are, however, tightlipped on the tieup.
Sources indicated Mr Kishor and his advocacy group Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) are camping in the state and are likely to start working from Friday.
Trinamul insiders underlined that Mr Kishor’s immediate task will be to work closely with party leaders and devise a strategy for the municipal elections, which are due next year.
This is the first time that the Trinamul has hired professional assistance for its political survival. Sources said that Mr Kishor was contacted and invited by Mr Banerjee to the meeting after he helped YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in recent polls.
