Prashant Kishor gets praise from Congress

CHANDIGARH: Political strategist Prashant Kishor has got some belated praise from the Congress, with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh saying his team's "work was absolutely critical to the victory".

"Fully endorse this! As I have said many times before, PK and his team and their work was absolutely critical to our victory in Punjab! (sic)", he wrote on Twitter.

Fully endorse this! As I have said many times before, PK & his team and their work was absolutely critical to our victory in Punjab! https://t.co/QtzoHdjPx6

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) March 21, 2017

His tweet came days after a UP Congress leader pasted a poster outside the party office in Lucknow over the weekend, offering five lakhs in exchange for locating Kishor.

Kishor has offered no comment to the media over the party's drubbing in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in which it was reduce to single-digit strength (7) in the 403-member House.

Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala also tweeted: "Congress party values hard work and contribution of PK and team and rejects the propaganda by vested interests (sic)."

Congress Party values the hard work & contribution of PK & team & rejects the propaganda by vested interests.1/2 https://t.co/j4x0vb0teF

— Randeep S Surjewala (@rssurjewala) March 20, 2017

Singh, who led his party to a resounding victory in the Punjab Assembly elections, had already lost two consecutive state elections.

He had sought help of Kishor, considered a key factor in the BJP's win the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the Grand Alliance's victory in Bihar Assembly elections.

Kishor notched a hat-trick by successfully strategizing the Congress's campaign in Punjab. The Congress bagged 77 seats in the 117-seat assembly.

He was the brain behind Punjab Congress's programmes like 'Coffee with Captain' and 'Punjab Da Kaptan' to drum up support for the party.

Party leaders said he had organised interactions of college students with Singh and appointed local 'kaptans' for the campaign.

They said Singh was so happy with his strategy that he suggested party Vice President Rahul Gandhi to rope him in for the party's campaign in Uttar Pradesh.