That Jan Suraaj party, founded by the redoubtable election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishore (PK), contested 238 seats in Bihar out of 243, won none, and garnered only 2-3% of the votes, has predictably elicited jibes and barbed comments on his much-vaunted political acumen.

PK is celebrated for having worked as a perceived successful political strategist for several political parties, including the BJP, JD(U), INC, AAP, YSRCP, DMK and the TMC. His first major political campaign was in 2011 to help Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, get re-elected to the CM office for a third time in the Gujarat Assembly Elections, 2012.

However, he came to wider public attention when Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), an election-campaign group he conceptualised, reportedly helped the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win an absolute majority in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

His detractors, including yours truly, however, feel that his supposed political acumen is vastly exaggerated. He was always on the winning side thanks to his ability to smell the coffee and assess which side the wind was blowing and never on the side of the underdogs.

So much so, there is a ring of truth in the charge that he (his company I-pack) piled up huge consultancy fees over the years for proffering what his clients wanted to hear in the manner of a consultant borrowing his clients’ watches to tell them the time.

As for why political parties fell over themselves to court him, it was something to do........

© Free Press Journal