Prashant Kishor, a poll strategist, has resigned as Principal Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, citing his desire to take a sabbatical from public life. “In my mind, I was always looking to take a sabbatical from active politics. Owing to that, I can’t take up the obligations as your Principal Advisor for the upcoming elections “, Prashant writes in a letter to Capt. Amarinder Singh. “By writing this letter, I would like to thank you for providing me with this opportunity to showcase my talent. However, I’d ask you to relieve me of my duties, so I could pursue other duties and get some time for myself”. He said, justifying his decision, which comes just before the Punjab elections in 2022.
Kishor, the Indian Political Action Committee (IPAC) founder, was credited with designing and implementing the Amarinder Singh-led Congress’ strategy in the 2017 elections, which the Congress won by a landslide, gaining 77 of the 117 seats in the legislature.
In March 2021, a year before the state’s 2022 assembly elections, Singh named Kishor his primary advisor. As infighting threatened to undermine the Grand Old Party’s strategy to maintain power in the approaching elections, Kishor played a major role in uniting the feuding chief ministers, including now-Punjab Congress head Navjot Singh Sidhu.
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In recent months, Prashant Kishor has met with several opposition figures. His recent talks with Sharad Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, have fuelled speculation about a possible political convergence among opposition groups. He has, however, insisted that Congress be included in any opposition coalition. As the Trinamool Congress cruised to victory in Bengal, Kishor, the man responsible for the party’s win, announced his retirement from election administration.
