In the light of the recent poll debacle the Janata Dal (Secular) faced, top leaders of the party have approached poll strategist Prashant Kishor to help revive the party’s fortunes in the State.
Mr. Kishor was on Wednesday expelled from the Janata Dal (United) where he was the national vice-president.
The JD(S) is in touch with Mr. Kishor, and a meeting scheduled with him to discuss the way forward had to be postponed in the light of anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests that have rocked the country, the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu . “We are planning to meet and discuss the issue shortly,” he added.
Pressure from the young
Since the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls in May 2019, several young leaders in the party have been asking in the party forum to consider taking services of Mr. Kishor, and the party leadership had also approached the poll strategist. The talks, however, had not made much headway.
Mr. Kishor, through his consultancy firm I-PAC, had been involved with the BJP and the Congress before. While he was part of the success of Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSRP in Andhra Pradesh, the Aam Aadmi Party roped him recently for the Delhi Assembly elections.
JD(S) sources said party supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda — himself a known political strategist when it comes to State issues — had also agreed to the proposal. The drubbing that the party received in the recent bypolls to the Assembly had forced the leadership to seriously consider seeking Mr. Kishor’s help, sources said.
Meanwhile, the party is also likely to discuss the issue of continuation of K. Nikhil in the post the party’s youth wing president. According to Mr. Kumaraswamy, party leaders are divided over the issue. “Both Mr. Nikhil and I want to send out a message [about party workers getting important posts] to the public. However, there is another section in the party that thinks that the youth need to be attracted and Mr. Nikhil should be more active in the party affairs and politics. A decision has to be made after consultation,” he added.
To pay party workers?
In another development, the JD(S) is also considering paying certain number of young leaders at the taluk level to take the party’s message to the people and build the party at the ground level. “The party has realised that it is very difficult to ensure serious party work on honorary basis. We are also toying with the idea of paying some amount as retainership and involve people in the party work,” a senior party leader said.
The leader said that the reading was that the JS(S) had to look for a large number of the 224 Assembly constituencies in the State, and grow beyond the party’s stronghold of Old Mysore region.
According to the senior party leader, the party believes that it can do well in about 98 constituencies where the losing margin was in the range of 2,000 to 3,000 votes or the party candidate had polled at least 25,000 votes in the previous Assembly elections. “The party could pay young local leaders in these constituencies, who can be a bridge between the leadership and voters. We expect them to create a party base of about 5,000 workers, who will help strengthen the party. The issues that they can take up will be communicated to them,” the party leader said.
