YSRCP vs Prashant Kishor: Strategy, success, and sudden rifts

The political strategist believes that Reddy's dependence on "freebies" as the sole strategy could complicate his political comeback.

In July of 2017, YSR Congress Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy introduced Prashant Kishor as the new political strategist for the party during an energetic event in Guntur (AP). Their goal was to challenge the current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu, and his party, TDP. Together, they devised a plan to profoundly connect with voters across Andhra Pradesh.

Jagan Mohan took the initiative to meet the people directly and embarked on a 15-month-long Praja Sankalpa Padayatra, walking throughout the state to listen to the concerns and hopes of its residents. This journey was not just about political gains; it was about grasping the essence of Andhra Pradesh. Concurrently, the campaign song Raavali Jagan Kaavali Jagan became a massive hit, garnering around 22.5 million views and amplifying the people's growing support for Jagan.

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Prashant Kishor and his team, consisting of around 400 members from the Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC), carried out a campaign on the streets and social media. They worked closely with YSR Congress's MPs, MLAs, and candidates, setting specific goals to ensure that their message reached every corner of the state.

The results were impressive. The YSR Congress's symbol, the Fan, won by a huge margin, leaving TDP's Bicycle, and Janasena Party's Empty Glass far behind in the Andhra Pradesh elections. With his expertise in transforming political landscapes, Prashant Kishor helped propel Jagan Mohan Reddy and the YSR Congress to a monumental victory, which dealt a significant blow to the tech-savvy politician N Chandrababu Naidu.

The relationship between Prashant Kishor and the YSR Congress party turned sour over the years. Seven years later, Kishor had become one of the least-liked figures in the YSRCP camp. The Education Minister of YSRCP, Botcha Satyanarayana, openly criticised Kishor, claiming that he would praise anyone who paid him and doubted his sincerity. Satyanarayana also questioned Kishor's departure from Bihar's political scene.

The Minister mentioned Kishor's past association with YSRCP, suggesting that Kishor's impact was minimal and the party could have fared differently if his advice had been fully implemented. He cautioned Kishor against disparaging others while praising Naidu.

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The YSRCP party is not happy with Prashant Kishor due to his recent predictions regarding the upcoming Andhra Pradesh elections scheduled for May 13. Kishor, who played a crucial role in YSRCP's victory in the 2019 state elections, has predicted a bleak future for YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the forthcoming polls. Despite the lack of concrete data, Kishor has expressed his intuition that Reddy is headed for a significant defeat, indicating not just a loss but a substantial one.

The YSRCP party has challenged Kishor's predictions as baseless and took to social media to discredit his "gut feeling." They argue that Kishor's intuition has previously missed the mark, citing incorrect predictions in Telangana and Rajasthan assembly elections. They also pointed out Kishor's less successful involvement in Bihar's political arena as evidence of his unreliable judgment.

Kishor has criticised Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy for relying too much on government handouts as a reelection strategy. He believes that Reddy's dependence on "freebies" as the sole strategy could complicate his political comeback.

In response, party leaders and ministers from the YSRCP have voiced their skepticism about Kishor's remarks. V Vijayasai Reddy, a TSRCP Rajya Sabha member and now the party's Lok Sabha candidate, questioned the credibility of Kishor's claims and noted the absence of empirical data to support his bleak forecast. He further insinuated that Kishor's bias could be due to his meeting with Chandrababu Naidu. Vijayasai Reddy praised the state's welfare initiatives during the pandemic and highlighted their importance to the populace.

AP Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath also posed a rhetorical question, pointing out that Kishor's opinion is different from the collective sentiment of Andhra Pradesh's residents. He reminded us of Kishor's current political ambitions in Bihar, where he is undertaking a significant padayatra and criticising the state's governance.

Amarnath defended the track record of the YSRCP government, specifically mentioning its Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, which has disbursed over Rs 2.50 lakh crore in the last five years. He questioned the logic behind Kishor's advice to TDP, suggesting the introduction of expensive welfare schemes, if he genuinely believed in the YSRCP's impending defeat due to similar policies.

A few months ago, there was a three-hour conversation between Kishor and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada, which led to speculation and criticism from the YSRCP camp about his political motives and analyses. Kishor expressed his opinion on the potential victory of the TDP, suggesting that their success might be less about their accomplishments and more about the shortcomings of Jagan Mohan Reddy's governance.