Prashant Kishor quits as Principal Advisor to Capt Amarinder Singh

Political strategist Prashant Kishor has resigned as Principal Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ahead of the 2022 state Assembly election. He was appointed Principal Advisor by the chief minister in March this year and had already held meetings with state government officials and MLAs. He was expected to design Amarinder’s campaign for the next assembly election.

Sources said Kishor in his resignation letter to the Chief Minister said, “As you are aware, in view of my decision to take a temporary break from an active role in public life, I have not been able to take over the responsibilities as your Principal Advisor. Since I am yet to decide on my future course of action, I write to request you to kindly relieve me from this responsibility.”

The Chief Minister’s Office has not confirmed yet that they have received the resignation. A senior official said he had “no idea” about his resignation. The development was, however, long-awaited ever since Kishor had announced to hang his boots from strategising after the West Bengal Assembly elections. After that, he had not visited Punjab although he had met Amarinder in Delhi recently after the CM had appeared before the Mallikarjun Kharge panel.

Kishor had designed Amarinder’s strategy ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections and was credited with giving Congress an edge over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), perceived at that time to get huge traction in the state. After he designed the Congress campaign, the party had won a handsome majority with 77 seats in an Assembly of 117 members.

At the time of appointing him as his Principal Advisor, Amarinder had tweeted: “Happy to share that @PrashantKishor has joined me as my Principal Advisor. Look forward to working together for the betterment of the people of Punjab!”

He was appointed in the rank of a Cabinet minister and was working pro bono. He was paid Re 1 per month as token honorarium and was entitled to perks including a government residence and half a dozen staff members. He was to get free transport, free air travel, telephone and medical facilities. He was allotted an office in the civil secretariat of Punjab but he never attended that office.

At the time of the announcement, Kishor’s appointment was seen as Amarinder’s message that he (CM) will be leading the party’s campaign ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. But with the Congress high command appointing Navjot Sidhu as PPCC chief, the scenario has changed in the state.

Amid the emerging scenario, Kishor’s quitting will be seen as a setback to Amarinder’s camp especially when the former has been meeting Congress’s top leadership in Delhi stirring up speculation that he may be working with Congress at the national level.