New Delhi: Political strategist Prashant Kishor met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Thursday, raising speculation that he may work with her in the near future, sources told PTI.
Accompanied by Trinamool Congress MP and Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Kishor had an over-two-hour discussion with the chief minister.
They said Kishor agreed to work with her if she so desired.
The meeting between Banerjee and Kishor came at a time when the TMC supremo is facing a tough challenge from the BJP in the state.
The saffron party won 18 out of a total of 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, only four less than the ruling TMC, in the recently concluded general election.
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Buoyed by the stupendous performance, the saffron party leaders are claiming that their next target is to overthrow the TMC from the power in the 2021 state polls.
Thursday’s meeting indicates that Banerjee may engage the poll planner to halt the BJP’s growing influence in Bengal ahead of the crucial state election.
Kishor’s latest achievement was Jagan Mohan Reddy’s victory in Andhra Pradesh. “More and more parties are approaching us [after Jagan’s win],” a source in Kishor’s team told NDTV.
“…politics has changed and she (Mamata) has realised that. It is not enough to know your state, know your issues and know the people. When data is being used by parties, all your knowledge means very little,” a TMC leader told News18.
(With PTI inputs)