Will Prashant Kishor's strategy work in Jagan’s Andhra Pradesh?

HYDERABAD: Master political strategist Prashant Kishor’s Indian Political Action Committee winning strategy in Bihar, where Nitish Kumar resolved during the campaign to implement seven promises, is being implemented in Andhra for YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy’s campaign with Navaratnalu, the nine promises.

IPAC’s nine-month-long election campaign in 2015 enabled the Mahagathbandhan to win 178 of 243 seats in Bihar where Nitish made seven promises.

Following in the footsteps, Jagan has been highlighting the nine promises throughout his padayatra in the past 259 days in AP.

At Indian School of Business (ISB) Leadership Summit 2018, Prashant Kishor said IPAC have found that the most significant problem people are facing in Andhra Pradesh is lack of drainage facility.

He said it is not the industrialisation and white collar jobs that people are asking for, but it’s for government to attend basic needs like providing drainage facility and piped water.

Prashant Kishor said, “During Bihar election, Prime Minister Modi and the party leader announced Rs 1.5 lakh crore package as a special assistance. To counter that we came up with saath nischay of Nitish where around 3.3 lakh to 3.4 lakh crores will be spent over five years for providing basic needs. We went around 13,000 villages and found this. AP is no different. The single biggest problem today in Andhra is lack of drainage facility,” he said.

He added, “We are involved in agenda setting of the political parties for whom we campaign. We make the leader of the party resolve the promises, be it Modi or Nitish or Captain Amarinder Singh. After the election, if the leader fails to deliver the promise, though most of the times they try to keep up the promises, we can do nothing,”

YSR Congress spokesperson Vasireddy Padma told TOI, “Most of the nine promises are linked to health and education. Former CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy had started Aarogyasri and fee reimbursement. Jagan has advanced it. Most middle class and poor get into debts due to burden on health and education. Pensions for those above 45 years is also a flagship scheme. Liquor prohibition is another issue that women will get relief if prohibited in phases.”