Sources suggest Kishor will guide STC's campaign for the TDP while I-PAC continues to work with the YSRCP. His decision may have a link to his Jan Suraaj padayatra in Bihar.
Published Dec 25, 2023 | 10:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 25, 2023 | 12:00 PM
Poll strategist Prashant Kishor.
The game of politics is quite intriguing. There are no permanent enemies or friends, only permanent interests, as William Clay once said.
This resonates in the current political landscape of Andhra Pradesh. Often applied to parachute leaders in politics, it now takes an interesting turn as it is addressed to political strategist “PK”.
Even as Prashant Kishor downplayed his visit to Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, 23 December, with TDP scion Nara Lokesh and discussions with former chief minister Chandrababu Naidu as a “courtesy visit”, those in the know suggested bigger plans are at play.
Kishor, who declared that he was retiring as an election strategist in 2021, visiting poll-bound Andhra Pradesh and meeting Chandrababu Naidu has sent the YSRCP — his former client — into a tizzy.
While everyone is focused on the politics of whether Kishor has chosen the TDP over the YSRCP, the actual contenders in the scenario, it seems, are two consultancy firms led by Kishor’s former associates — Showtime Consulting, helmed by Robbin Sharrma, working with TDP, and Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), led by Rishi Raj Singh, working with YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh.
For someone actively engaged in Andhra Pradesh politics, Prashant Kishor — aka PK — is synonymous with ace political strategies: The kind that wins elections.
Kishor gained more popularity for his success in the 2019 elections, where he added another feather to his cap by contributing to the victory of the YSRCP — led by Jagan Mohan Reddy in the Telugu state.
He played a crucial role behind the scenes, handling tasks that ranged from candidate selection to manifesto design.
However, adhering to the age-old saying, Prashant took a U-turn this time by meeting Chandrababu Naidu, the arch-rival of YSRCP chief and incumbent AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Reliable sources from Naidu’s personal team confirmed to South First: “Prashant Kishor agreed to work with Chandrababu Naidu for the elections in coordination with the already on-boarded political consultancy Show Time Consulting, founded by Robbin Sharma, the former co-founder of I-PAC.”
As per credible sources, though Prashant Kishor officially quit the poll domain in 2021, his contribution to I-PAC off the record continued till a few months back.
He eventually distanced himself from the strategies and ventured his political start with a padayatra (walkathon) across Bihar, named “Jan Suraaj”, on 2 October, 2022.
My quest to be a meaningful participant in democracy & help shape pro-people policy led to a 10yr rollercoaster ride!
As I turn the page, time to go to the Real Masters, THE PEOPLE,to better understand the issues & the path to “जन सुराज”-Peoples Good Governance
शुरुआत #बिहार से
— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) May 2, 2022
However, the meeting with Naidu came as a surprise and sent shockwaves through the entire YSRCP and even for many in I-PAC, as they heavily relied on the “PK factor”.
Now, questions arise about what prompted Prashant Kishor to join forces with Chandrababu Naidu, abandoning the I-PAC.
Additionally, there is curiosity in the political circles about why he chose Show Time Consultancy and — notably — concerns of the YSRCP regarding electoral data that he may be in possession of as a former consultant to the party.
South First reached out to both Show Time Consultancy and I-PAC working to gain insights and answers to the questions.
I-PAC began as Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG) in 2013, marking its first success with campaigning for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prashant Kishor reportedly played a crucial role in securing the project and led the team as the captain of the ship. The organisation later transformed into I-PAC with three directors – Pratik Jain, Rishi Raj Singh, and Vinesh Chandel, with Prashant Kishor serving as an advisor for almost nine years until the Goa TMC debacle.
Robbin Sharma, a founding member of CAG and a former co-founder of I-PAC, resigned in 2017 and worked with the Congress until the 2019 elections. In November 2019, Robbin founded the Show Time Consultancy. Both major parties of Andhra, YSRCP and TDP, have hired I-PAC and Show Time, respectively.
A screengrab from the IPAC website, on the directors.
According to sources within I-PAC told to South First that, despite officially quitting poll consultancy, Prashant Kishor was still associated with I-PAC.
The current I-PAC team, led by Chandel, is working on the Jan Suraaj Padayatra in Bihar, with Jain involved in the TMC project and Rishi Raj Singh leading the Andhra Project.
“However, issues arose with a face-off between Rishi Raj Singh and other directors with Prashant Kishor regarding funding issues. Since September, payments for the Bihar project have not been met by I-PAC. The Padayatra, launched in 2022, did not gain political foothold, and the directors believe they have exhausted funding resources. About 200 employees from I-PAC, along with Prashant Kishor, are working on the ground for the Padayatra in Bihar,” the source added.
Given Prashant Kishor’s track record, he is known for aligning himself with winning candidates. Sources from Show Time consultancy believe that Prashant Kishor also had a conversation with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee whom the I-PAC is working, may have suggested to him to pitch Naidu to join the INDIA Alliance.
However, in the meantime, Prashant Kishor has developed a rapport with Chandrababu Naidu, especially considering his former deputies Robbin Sharma and another close employee, Shantanu Singh, are working on the Andhra Pradesh project.
“The old relations have rekindled, leading Prashant to agree to come on board, and from now on, he will work with Show Time — providing guidance on narratives, messaging, and surveys as needed“ the source added.
Kishor arrived in Vijayawada from Hyderabad on a private aircraft with TDP scion Nara Lokesh, Shantanu Singh, Kilaru Rajesh, and M Srikanth, according to the passenger manifest.
During the three-hour meeting, Prashant Kishor agreed to work with the TDP as a political advisor with certain conditions, and also suggested some issues to be taken up by the party, according to a reliable source from Show Time consultancy.
#Exclusive: In a big political development, the political strategist #PrashantKishor, who played a key role in the 2019 victory of #YSRCP, arrives in #Vijayawada with #NaraLokesh. Both have headed to the residence of #TDP supremo @ncbn in #Undavalli.@TheSouthfirst pic.twitter.com/V6YaTpl1SQ
— Bhaskar Basava (@bhaskar_basava_) December 23, 2023
“He told to focus more on anti-incumbency campaigns than manifesto campaigns like Bhavishyathuku Guarantee. The anti-incumbency campaigns should be focused on specific drives for SC, ST, and attacks on BCs. Issues such as debts, the dire state of affairs in Andhra Pradesh, including price hikes and tax increases, should be emphasised,” sources explained.
However, when Prashant Kishor was grilled by a media person while he was leaving from Vijayawada, he was tight lipped. He said, “he met Chandrababu Naidu out of respect as he is a senior leader and there is nothing else.”
The entire episode has passed a shockwaves to the YSRCP leaders and the cadre.
It was very usual day at I-PAC where some employees are working while others were on Christmas mood with many opted to leave for the weekend. However, the video emerging Prashant Kishor has come in a surprise for them and the office floors have nothing but a deep silence and shock for some time.
Though I-PAC clarified that it would be working with the YSRCP, and Kishor had left the organisation in 2021. Many in the organisation and even MLAs are surprised as they are banking highly on the PK factor to do magic for them as it did in 2019. But left shocked, MLAs and key cadre of the constituency dialled upon the filed agents of the IPAC.
I-PAC has been working in collaboration with @YSRCParty since last year. Together, we’re dedicated to working tirelessly until @ysjagan secures a thumping victory again in 2024 and continues his unwavering efforts to better the lives of the people of Andhra Pradesh.
— I-PAC (@IndianPAC) December 23, 2023
A source with condition of anonymity shared with the South First that he even got the call from the Andhra Pradesh Chief minister YS Jagan office.
Another source from the I-PAC told the South First that, “From tomorrow I am not sure if the MLAs or the party cadre would co-operate with us as earlier as this is going to be more worse soon as we lost our ‘USP’ and so the moral confidence.“
One of the key people who worked for the I-PAC and quit recently shared that his phone received over 15 missed calls in 10 minutes and all were from senior and important YSRCP persons. The source added, “One leader even pointed out and asked on a lighter note, ‘brother, did you guys leave the I-PAC safety that you were already aware of? What will our situation be now? What about the data you have collected?’”
YS Jagan in IPAC, Hyderabad office with ‘PK’, director Rishi Raj Singh (left to YS Jagan), and Shantanu Singh (behind YS Jagan) in 2019. (Supplied)
On being asked for any reports or data that was sent to Prashant Kishor for inputs, the consultant shared that as far as his knowledge, till he left at least four-five months ago, some reports were shared with Prashant Kishor on campaigns and other notes.
But he added that Shantanu Singh, who worked for I-PAC till March 2022, had also have an equally important knowledge and data on the constituencies as he was who led the project in 2019 elections and joined the Show Time as the director in the November 2022.
“Both have a clear picture and data of constituency analysis of booth level community wise and strengths of the party’s possible candidates. From the broad perspective, it’s like Prashant playing the chess board one two sides,” he added.
On the flip side, Christmas seems to have arrived in advance for Showtime Consulting, as its employee cheers the moral win of “getting Prashant Kishor’s support”.
On asking about the data breach, a former IPAC consultant who joined the Show Time recently, shared that at least 50 percent of the employees are from the IPAC who had dealt various roles and had YSRCP data with them already and not highly dependent on PK in that matter.
But what they see is his guidance and the morale boost he provides after joining, both among the employees and the TDP cadre.
Show Time Consultancy celebrating fourth year anniversary in the Hyderabad office.
To be noted, the 2024 elections is not just a fight between YS Jagan and Chandrababu but also between IPAC and Show Time where few professionals want to survive in the market as the one who loses is less likely to be chosen in another state.
“What will happen to the IPAC and Show Time projects with respect to the other states, is highly dependent on the outcome of Andhra Pradesh elections,” source added.
However, the source from Chandrababu Naidu’s personal team sees that this might not help in larger scale among the general public as only three months left for the elections but sees a moral damage for the YSRCP party.
But he says he has no idea how to react or justify the onboarding of Prashant Kishor among the neutral and educated sections, on which the TDP is relying for votes, especially since it was them who ran a malign campaign on PK sometime back.
