Political strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar; sets off political speculation
Mumbai, Jun 11: Political strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday called on NCP president Sharad Pawar at the latter's residence here and held talks with him for around three hours, setting tongues wagging in political circles.
NCP sources said apart from discussing the prevailing political situation, Pawar hosted lunch for Kishor.
The meeting got over by around 2 pm, but neither Kishor nor Pawar spoke to the mediapersons gathered outside 'Silver Oak' (NCP chief's residence).
This is Kishor's first meeting with Pawar after the victory of the DMK and the TMC in the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively. He had helped craft the election strategy for these parties in the assembly elections.
After the assembly poll results, the election strategist had said that he was "quitting this space".
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar downplayed the meeting, saying that Kishor has already said he will not be a political strategist any more.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said many leaders are in touch with Kishor, while NCP's Chhagan Bhujbal said he was no aware of the agenda of the meeting.
Stating that Kishor was a successful political strategist, Bhujbal said he was sure that Pawar will take into account Kishor's suggestions.
Kishor had met Uddhav Thackeray in 2019 before the latter became chief minister.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
