NCP president Sharad Pawar has started forming an anti-BJP front in the country and the state. For this, he spent three hours secretly with renowned political strategist Prashant Kishor.The meeting also discussed how to keep the BJP away from Maharashtra and the Center, as well as how to give a viable alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national level.
It is understood that Shiv Sena leader and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also agreed with Prashant Kishor on strategizing. The meeting also discussed how to plan at the national level. Prashant Kishor also had a meal with Sharad Pawar. It is understood that Kishor also commented on how the strategy should be formulated during the assembly elections in Maharashtra and how the constituency wise planning should be done.
MP Supriya Sule, NCP state president Jayant Patil, MLA Rohit Pawar were also present in the meeting. Opponents need a reassuring face when thinking at the national level. For that, collective leadership has to be brought forward. The meeting also discussed that a picture of Rahul Gandhi versus Narendra Modi should not come up in the Lok Sabha elections.
We will have to go directly to the people. Only then the perception created by the BJP can change, said Prashant Kishor in the meeting. "Considering India, the BJP got more votes in less educated areas and in reserved constituencies for SCs and STs," Kishor said.
Apart from the BJP, no other party is working to create an atmosphere. The Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly did not see the Congress fighting for victory. As a result, there was no excitement among traditional Congress voters. It is understood that Prashant Kishor also gave statistics on how the BJP benefits if the Congress is given more seats.
In 2009, the BJP got 18.8 per cent votes and 116 seats in the Lok Sabha. Ten years later, in 2019, the Congress got 19.69 per cent votes and 52 seats. Ten years later, the Congress lost 64 seats despite gaining one per cent more votes. The reason for this was that the Congress, with its alliance with the local parties in those states, had a large division of votes. Kishor assured Sharad Pawar that BJP benefited from it.
With the exception of the BJP, no other party has a system that works in a scientific way to reach out to old and new voters. He suggested that the system should be set up.
Where there are strong regional partie, if the Congress is given more seats in that place, then the Congress loses and the BJP gains. Local regional parties are thus harmed, Prashant Kishor said that planning has to be done for this. No matter how polarized religions, sects, groups, organizations may be, no more than 70 per cent votes can be obtained from that group. The remaining 30 per cent turnout could change the picture. But it is not being addressed.