Prashant Kishor: From hero to zero

“The one who said, ‘I made him win, I made her Chief Minister, I made him Prime Minister, if he listens to me, he’ll become PM, I charge Rs 20 crore per hour, and no one is smarter than me,’” — election strategist and Jan Suraaj Party president Prashant Kishor — has ended up with zero in the Bihar election exit polls.

All exit polls released after polling in Bihar showed a clear majority for the NDA, a certain defeat for the Mahagathbandhan, and almost no success for Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party, which has been holding rallies and padayatras for the past two years claiming it would make a mark. The party, which contested nearly all constituencies in Bihar, is predicted to win zero or just one seat — and not even secure deposits in most places.

Analysts say Kishor’s entry may have indirectly helped the NDA by splitting opposition votes, particularly from the Mahagathbandhan. Some political observers even suspect that Kishor’s participation might have been part of a tacit understanding that benefited the BJP-led alliance.

But one hard truth remains — no one can come to power merely through strategy unless the people trust the leader or the party. Kishor, who once claimed credit for making Narendra Modi Prime Minister and leaders like Mamata Banerjee, M.K. Stalin, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and Chandrababu Naidu Chief Ministers, seems to have failed to create the same magic for himself in Bihar despite three years of effort.

In previous elections, Kishor’s strategies reportedly backfired for Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP, distancing the leadership from grassroots workers. While leaders like Stalin, Mamata, and the BJP might have used his strategies effectively, they sidelined him after gaining power. Jagan, however, continued to rely heavily on political strategists even after coming to power — something that reportedly hurt him in the 2024 elections.

Politics, after all, isn’t as easy as drawing up strategies. Talking is easy; winning people is hard. Even if one is a top strategist, claiming “I’ll become CM” can end up like Prashant Kishor’s story — from strategist to struggler.

After the Bihar election results, people may remember him only as the Jan Suraaj Party president, not as the man who “made others CM or PM.”

In short, the man once hailed as a hero strategist across India now appears to be heading toward becoming a zero after Bihar’s election outcome.

Meanwhile, the state recorded record-high voter turnouts — 64.67% and 68.76% in the two phases. While the opposition hoped this reflected anti-incumbency, the exit polls have clearly favored the NDA. The final verdict will be known in a couple of days.