Bengal pol circles abuzz with rumours of Prashant Kishor

Political circles in West Bengal are abuzz with rumours that poll strategist Prashant Kishor is likely to join the ruling Trinamool Congress in the state after his expulsion from JD(U) on Wednesday. Top TMC leaders when contacted did not confirm any such development but neither ruled out the possibility in the near future.

Repeated calls by PTI to Kishor, who is a poll strategist for TMC, went unanswered. The JD(U) on Wednesday expelled Kishor, who was its vice-president and Pavan Varma, its general secretary saying their conduct in the recent past has made it clear that they do not want to abide by the party's discipline.

Kishor like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been criticial of Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Population Register. According to TMC sources, Kishor shares a very good rapport and working relation with Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo.

"Prashant Kishor as a poll strategist is doing a great job for the party. Now whether he will join TMC or not is to be decided by him and the party's top leadership," TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee told reporters. A senior TMC leader who did not wish to be named said if Kishor is willing he will be welcomed to TMC "with open arms" as a strategist like him would be an asset ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.

"If he wants to join, I don't think there will be any problem. He has been doing a great job for TMC and will be an asset for our party in the 2021 assembly polls, which is going to be a tough election," the senior TMC leader said. After its dismal performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls TMC had hired Kishor to plan the party's strategy and fix the lacunae before the next assembly polls. a, had Kishor's strategy worked for the party as it won all the three assembly seats in the by-election held in November last year, a few months after the general election.

As the JD(U) vice-president Kishor had been critical of party president Nitish Kumar over his support to CAA and the NPR and was expelled from the party..

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