New Delhi: With the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) taking a firm lead in 62 seats of the 70 in the Delhi assembly on Tuesday, the party’s campaign strategist Prashant Kishor took to Twitter to thank the Delhi voters for returning the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to power for another term.Kishor, who was recently expelled from the Janata Dal (United) for a clear division of ideology between him and the party chief, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, wrote: “Thank you Delhi for standing up to protect the soul of India!”Thank you Delhi for standing up to protect the soul of India!— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) February 11, 2020After he was ousted from the party, Kishor had tweeted thanking Kumar too, adding, “My best wishes to you to retain the chair of chief minister of Bihar. God bless you.”In the run-up to the Delhi elections, Kishor criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – the JD(U)’s ally – and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In response to BJP top leader and Union home minister Amit Shah’s communal comment at a rally that people of Delhi should vote ‘decisively’ that its effect was felt at Shaheen Bagh, the anti-CAA protest site, Kishor had tweeted in Hindi, “On February 8 in Delhi, votes on the EVMs would be pressed on love.”“Jor ka jhatka dheere se lagni chahiye taki aapsi bhaichara aur sauhard khatre me na pare.” (The firm knock (against communalism) should be delivered softly so that mutual brotherhood and harmony (between Hindus and Muslims) don’t be under threat”.)On February 11, soon after counting began, trends showed AAP progressing towards forming a government in Delhi for the third time, thwarting an aggressive and communal campaign by the BJP. The success also highlights Kishor’s success as a political strategist. This was the first time AAP had hired a professional poll strategist for its election campaign. Kishor’s agency, I-PAC, is also credited for spearheading Modi’s third term as chief minister of Gujarat and the BJP’s successful campaign for the 2014 general elections, with Modi as the prime ministerial face. Recently, Kishor’s agency was also employed by the Congress during Punjab’s assembly polls.
