Prashant Kishor To Advise Congress on Punjab 2022 Campaign? CM Channi Drops Hint

Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi has hinted that the Congress may be considering bringing in political strategist Prashant Kishor to help the party in its bid to retain power in the Punjab 2022 Assembly polls.

(Photo: PTI)

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Charanjit Singh Channi has hinted that the Congress may be considering bringing in political strategist Prashant Kishor to help the party in its bid to retain power in the Punjab 2022 Assembly polls.

A video from a strategy session of the Congress shows Channi saying, "Harish Chaudhary ji (the AICC in-charge for Punjab) was even advising to hire Prashant Kishor."

In August, Prashant Kishor had resigned as principal adviser to then Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, saying he would "not be involved" in the 2022 Assembly elections.

Prashant Kishor's Tryst With Congress

Prashant Kishor and his political consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) had been tasked with advising the Congress campaign in Punjab during the previous Assembly election in the state. Kishor's efforts proved successful when Captain Amarinder Singh led the Congress to a victory in the Assembly polls in 2017.

During that exact same period though, Kishor had also worked on the Congress' campaign in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Not only did the grand old party not perform well in UP in 2017, the experience of working together in UP was believed to have strained relations between the Congress and Kishor.

In March 2021, Kishor had been appointed as principal adviser (with cabinet rank) to Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh. In August, he quit that role, and is currently working with the Trinamool Congress in their efforts to make inroads in Goa in the 2022 Assembly polls.

With Channi hinting that Kishor may be back in the thick of things in Punjab once again, it would seem that Kishor and the Congress may yet come together for another election, five years after their successful partnership in 2017.