Now, Prashant Kishor in talks with Kumaraswamy to revive JD(S) in Karnataka

With an eye on the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday revealed that he held the first round of discussions with poll strategist Prashant Kishor to revive the party.

After losing a trust vote last year and failing to make a dent in the subsequent bye-elections, Kumaraswamy reached out to Kishor and sought his help in revamping the party's organisational structure and preparing for elections in the state. Speaking to the media, Kumaraswamy said, "I have spoken to Prashant Kishore to organise politically in Karnataka for the future. I have done the first round of discussions with him and more details will be revealed later."

The Kishor-led Indian Political Action Committee (I- PAC) has helped the Aam Aadmi Party win the Delhi Assembly election recently. The M K Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has become the latest political outfit to employ the services of Kishor's consultancy firm I-PAC.

Kishor, a former JDU leader, also was behind Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's election campaign. Last year, Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy met Jagan Mohan Reddy after he lost in the Lok Sabha election from Mandya to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, who is the wife of late actor and Congress leader Ambareesh.

Kishor's team also helped Narendra Modi in the election campaign in 2014 general elections. The I-PAC has worked on a number of successful campaigns since 2014, including the one that brought JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to power in 2015.

(Inputs and image from theindianexpress.com)