After masterminding 'Sonia Sainiks' what will Prashant Kishor do now? Details here

In the aftermath of the events that followed as a consequence of the 'Mahayuti' alliance between Shiv Sena and BJP falling out, Maharashtra faced a leadership vacuum as no party was able to form a government with single majority. However, people woke up to a super political twist in the morning on Saturday, November 23, with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis taking oath as the CM of the State. In another unexpected twist, NCP leader Ajit Pawar was also seen swearing-in as the Deputy CM. 

Fadnavis takes over as Maha CM, Ajit Pawar as Dy CM

After Sena's demands of 50-50 seat-sharing over the post of Chief Minister, BJP promptly ended the alliance with Sena, leaving the option of forming the government to the latter, along with a possibility of an alliance with Sena, NCP, and INC working together. 

Poll strategist and JD(U) Vice President Prashant Kishor on the other hand, who was considered the brainchild and strongman behind Shiv Sena's alliance with the BJP, had reportedly cautioned the Thackerays about staying with BJP, as he had intended to work closely with the party to bolster Aaditya Thackeray as the new face of Sena.

In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kishor was incidentally roped in, to assist with campaign strategies for Shiv Sena for the assembly elections. According to sources, while he pitched for Sena to join hands with the BJP initially, he also reportedly envisioned a plan to re-establish the party's prominence and stronghold in the State with its youth leader and recent MLA-elect, Aaditya Thackeray at the helm.

Has Prashant Kishor's plan worked?

Amidst key developments in Maharashtra's political situation, Prashant Kishor can still be seen attacking the Centre over the implementation of the NRC, however, he is yet to make any comment on the newly forged alliance between NCP and BJP. Here's a brief overview of the slew of changes Prashant Kishore had charted out for Shiv Sena:

Sources told Republic World that Prashant Kishor and his team of I-PAC consultants had recommended a Jan Ashirwad Yatra, a padayatra similar to the one seen during the Jagan Mohan Reddy’s campaign, where Shiv Sena leaders would tour Maharashtra to meet and engage in dialogue with the people.

Aaditya Sanwaad: According to sources, a one-to-one interaction with Aaditya Thackeray to connect with the youth of the State was also strategized by Kishor. Several meetings with the youth leader was organised as a way to bring more relatability and familiarity with the masses.

Friends of Aaditya: Sources told Republic World, interactive sessions with urban professionals to improve the young leader’s outreach among the urban population was also planned. Attempts to promote Shiv Sena as a party, not just for Maharashtrians in urban sectors, were also pivotal in the State. An example of this is the hoardings that were put-up all-over Mumbai with greetings and messages for Aaditya Thackeray as the new CM of the State in different regional languages, as opposed to just Marathi or Hindi.

Another point of interest is after Prashant Kishor's purported assistance with PM Modi's 2014 campaign, which saw him getting elected to the top post, the political strategist has been seen to predominantly work only with regional parties that have either discontinued relations with the BJP or known to have significant difference in ideology and political leaning; case in point being JD(U) of which he is now the Vice President, YSR Congress, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena.

Who is Prashant Kishor?

An Indian political strategist, Prashant Kishore is considered to be a founding member of I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee), an organisation that has been responsible for designing campaign strategies for top political parties in the country, capable of influencing strategies, outreach programs and political consultancy.

Prashant Kishore has been frequently credited for being the election strategist for YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh for the 2019 elections as well as for Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh. In 2015 he also worked for the JD(U) when the party was still a part of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar before later joining the party as Vice President. He is currently speculated to be assisting TMC in West Bengal for the 2021 elections. 

Tussle over formation of Maharashtra Government 

The Shiv Sena broke its pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) after the counting of the seats since the two parties did not were not able to reach an agreement over 50-50 seat sharing or CM post along with other portfolios. In the confusion that followed shortly after, Shiv Sena was seen cosying up to NCP for support. After much deliberation, Sena, NCP and the INC, along with some independent MLAs who had allegedly pledged support, organised multiple marathon meetings in Mumbai and New Delhi to finalise a deal among them. However, the consensus that was reached on November 22 was that Uddhav had accepted to be the next CM with what was termed as unanimous support by leaders from all three parties before the defection happened in the early hours of Saturday, November 23.