Prashant Kishor loses cool as Karan Thapar reminds him of earlier prediction failing
New Delhi: Noted election strategist Prashant Kishor found himself in the hot seat during an interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire. The conversation took a tense turn as Kishor was reminded about his past predictions in Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.
Kishor, renowned for his role in designing election campaigns for Prime Minister Modi and the BJP in 2014, has since worked with various political parties across the country. Now embarking on a Jana Swaraj Yatra in Bihar, he aims to establish "Jana Swaraj" as a political entity for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections.
During the interview, Kishor confidently forecasted that the BJP would secure over 300 seats in the next election. Despite potential losses in the North, he believed gains in the South and East would offset any shortfall. However, contrary reports and surveys suggest a different result, hinting at potential setbacks for the BJP.
Tensions rose when Thapar questioned Kishor about his earlier prediction regarding the Congress's performance in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha elections. Kishor, visibly irked, was seen asking Thapar to either show a video of him saying so or apologise.
Karan Thapar asked Prashant who looked very upset, “Do you want to continue the interview or do you want to stop?'', which made him even more annoyed. “I can face not one but four like you, I know how to deal with you well. I will not get up.” he is seen saying.
As the interview progressed, Kishor's frustration mounted, leading to heated exchanges and even comparisons to Narendra Modi's infamous 2007 interview with Thapar.
Kishor had previously predicted a rout for the Congress in Himachal Pradesh and Telangana in May 2022 and September 2023 respectively. But the Congress won the Assembly polls in both states., contrary to Kishor’s predictions.
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RCB secure IPL playoff berth with 23-run win against Punjab Kings
Dharamsala (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru rode on fluent half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer, along with a decisive opening spell from pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, to thrash Punjab Kings by 23 runs and seal a playoff berth in the IPL here on Sunday.
Kohli (58 off 37 balls), Iyer (73 not out off 40 balls) and Devdutt Padikkal (45) produced impactful knocks as RCB piled up 222 for 4 in 20 overs.
Bhuvneshwar (2/38) then removed the dangerous Punjab Kings opening pair of Priyansh Arya (0) and Prabhsimran Singh (2) early to all but shut the door on the opposition, who eventually managed 199 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Pacer Rasikh Salam (3/36) compounded Punjab Kings' misery by dismissing skipper Shreyas Iyer (1) in the fourth over as the hosts slumped to 19 for 3.
Late-order batters Shashank Singh (56 off 27 balls) and Marcus Stoinis (37 off 25 balls) attempted to revive the innings with a counter-attacking effort, but the towering RCB total ultimately proved far beyond PBKS' reach.
Earlier, Kohli stitched together a 76-run stand with Devdutt for the second wicket to lay the foundation before adding another 60 runs with Venkatesh for the third wicket as table-toppers RCB delivered yet another authoritative batting display.
Brief Scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 222 for 4 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 58, Devdutt Padikkal 45, Venkatesh Iyer 73 not out; Harpreet Brar 2/35).
Punjab Kings: 199 for 8 in 20 overs (Cooper Connolly 37, Suryansh Shedge 35, Marcus Stoinis 37, Shashank Singh 56; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/38, Rasikh Salam 3/36).
