Janata Dal (Secular) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, is set to meet political strategist Prashanth Kishor this week. Hit by the changing affiliations of youngsters, especially in its Vokkaliga stronghold, the JD(S) plans to seek professional advice.
“Mr. Kishor is currently busy in West Bengal and is unable to come here. Nikhil will be meeting him in the next two or three days for a preliminary meeting, after which senior leaders, including me, will sit down and finalise how to take this forward. This is a top priority for the party now,” Mr. Kumaraswamy told The Hindu .
For several months, the party has been trying to firm up its understanding with I PAC, the organisation run by Mr. Kishor, but it has not been able to move forward because of Mr. Kishor’s participation in the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests.
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Mr. Kumaraswamy said the party organisation was still strong, but it was also aware that it needed to reach out to the younger generations. As part of the strategy to do so, social media platforms will also be used extensively, the former Chief Minister said.
For the regional party, the shift of the youth to the BJP has been a cause for concern. The shift reflected in the Mandya Lok Sabha election loss and in the recent K.R. Pete bypoll, both of which jolted the party. Increasingly, this shift of youngsters towards the BJP is being discussed and party leaders feel the need for professional advice to attract them to the JD(S), a senior leader acknowledged.
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Sources also said that though Mr. Kumaraswamy has been able to attract a large following, it is essentially not converting into votes in elections. “His rallies attract crowds wherever he goes, but inexplicably the same enthusiasm does not show in polls,” a source said, adding that these issues would also be discussed with Mr. Kishor.
Party sources also said that 120 to 130 Assembly constituencies have been identified where the party has consistently been able to get about 20,000 votes. Data from the last four or five elections and how the party performed in these constituencies will be provided to Mr. Kishor.