Prashant Kishor, a key strategist in the landslide victories of Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, dissects what influences Indian voters on Thursday, their aspirations and what they now demand of their leaders in his debut book.
How India votes has always been a mystery and Kishor book talks elections are now fought and how to win and lose them.
To be published by Juggernaut Books by the end of the year, "The Election Game" will be co-authored by journalist Sankarshan Thakur. "Writing is a new world for me, but I am hoping this foray into the world of books will be a step towards widening the conversation with the emerging new electorate, especially the youth and professionals, about the essential rites of our democracy: elections," says Kishor.
He says he is excited to be working with the man who leads the field in transforming the way elections are now plotted and fought.
According to Juggernaut's Publisher Chiki Sarkar, this is a book that everyone has been waiting for. "And we are absolutely delighted that Sankarshan has agreed to co-author it with Prashant Kishor. One of our most acclaimed and experienced journalists and writers, who has closely observed Prashant at work during the Bihar elections, Sankarshan will bring to this book his keen understanding of the personalities, issues, and factors that drive politics in India, and his ability to weave these into a gripping narrative," she says.
Kishor, regarded in political circles as 'Chanakya' of Nitish, was in January appointed as advisor to him for Planning and Programme Implementation. He would have a status of a cabinet minister and get allowance of that level and would have the responsibility to formulate plan and supervise timely implementation of developmental programmes in Bihar.
According to rumour mills, Kishor's expertise is also likely to be taken by Congress in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, where elections are scheduled for next year.
