MUMBAI: Master poll strategist Prashant Kishor was hosted by NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday for a long interaction that set off speculation about plans to rally the opposition under a common banner.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of assembly polls in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu where regional parties dominated.
Prashant Kishor has been credited with playing a key role in Mamata Banerjee and M K Stalin’s successful election campaigns.
The three-hour interaction took place at Pawar’s Silver Oak residence in south Mumbai, with his daughter and MP Supriya Sule and his grandnephew and MLA Rohit Pawar in attendance.
Pawar’s recent efforts to take a lead for opposition unity at the national level against the BJP and his key role in forging the Maha Vikas Aghadi lent an added context to the engagement.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said since the victories of Banerjee and M K Stalin, it has been confirmed that in days to come, regional parties will play a decisive role “Pawar has embarked on a new mission, to unite opposition parties against the NDA leadership for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,”Malik said.
“There can’t be a one nation one culture formula, India is multi-cultural and multi-lingual, we will have to mobilize the people to halt the progress of BJP,”he said.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said he was not aware of the nature of discussions held by Pawar and Prashant Kishor but he pointed out Kishor has already announced that he is quitting this space.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said Congress had no comments to offer.
“We feel that Congress under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi has already initiated steps for opposition unity and the results will be seen in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.” Sawant said.
Shiv Sena spokesperson Arvind Sawant welcomed the interaction and said the party would be “happy” if Pawar became Prime Minister.
He recalled that Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray had extended support to Pratibha Patil in elections to the post of President “because she was a Marathi candidate .Saheb said Maharashtra needs a regional leader at the national level,” he said.