New Delhi: Prashant Kishor, the man who managed Nitish Kumar's communication cell, once again lived up to his reputation of a master strategist.
The man who is also credited with PM Modi's massive victory in last year's Lok Sabha elections, Modi's virtual presence via hologram before distant audiences, his selfie trendsetter and the most famous Chai pe Charcha were the brainchild of Kishor.
He shrewdly exploited Mani Shankar Aiyar's barb on Narendra Modi as Chaiwala and helped turn the tide in BJP's favour.
Kishor began his career as a public health activist in Bihar and then Andhra Pradesh.
Kishor's work caught the attention of the WHO bureaucracy and was chosen for a UN traineeship in the mid-2000s and rose swiftly up the rungs of the international health activism circuit. He quit the UN job in 2011 to return to India and form a team of young professionals to project Modi as the face of good governance for the Gujarat elections in 2012 and then the national election last year.
He met Nitish Kumar in December last year and proposed to work for him.
Here are 10 ways how Prashant Kishor devised Nitish Kumar's victory:
1) JD(U) dropped its green-coloured flags — associated with socialists — and switched to red. “The red will add political meaning as it is the colour of revolution. Subaltern sections have an inclination toward this colour.
2) While BJP was putting money into newspaper ads, Kishor preferred radio which echoed Nitish Kumar's message to rural areas.
3) Kishor morphed Modi's 'chai pe charcha' to Nitish's ‘parcha pe charcha' or discussion over pamphlets, which asked people for feedback on the state government's performance in the last 10 years. Over 400 trucks with LED monitors were sent across to villages with the pamphlets.
4) Kishor also handles Nitish's Facebook and Twitter accounts, and posts well-researched information to counter the BJP's campaign, and forces Modi to react on issues raised by the CM, like the repackaging of old projects as special packages.
5) Kishor also devised plan to keep Nitish at a safe distance from Lalu Yadav as people still trusted the CM who is seeking a third term in contrast to RJD's 15-year lawless rule.
6) India Political Action Committee (IPAC), the organisation headed by Kishor also used Google's ad network to reach out to youth through Bihar-related websites.
7) IPAC designed a cycle carrying the message of the CM's seven commitments, with the slogan “Nitish ka nishchay: vikas ki guarantee (Nitish's vow: development guaranteed). The campaign was cost-effective as it didn't need fuel and message was sent effectively throughout the state through 5000 cycles.
8) JD(U) had ordered 5,000 bicycles for its field workers to campaign across the state which connected with masses in rural areas. The campaign was cost-effective and conveyed the message more effectively than BJP's high-tech raths.
9) Before Kishore started working with Nitish, he asked him to dislodge Jitan Ram Manjhi and return as chief minister of Bihar.
10) In run up to the national election, Kishor had launched a comic series 'Bal Narendra' based on the life of Modi. On same patterns, he eulogised a ‘Munna se Nitish' comic series showing Nitish Kumar as an honest, respectful and brave boy who grew up to be Chief Minister.
