After slide in Lok Sabha polls, Mamata Banerjee strikes deal with election strategist Prashant Kishor
Kolkata, Jun 6 (IBNS): Days after losing a chunk of seats to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha polls, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has signed on election strategist Prashant Kishor, who had helped Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party to gain power in Andhra Pradesh recently, media reports said.
Banerjee and Kishor held a long meeting in Kolkata on Thursday and eventually they arrived at an election-winning package.
Kishor, who is a member of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United), had also helped Narendra Modi to win in the 2012 Gujarat assembly elections and the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Interestingly, the JD(U) is a part of the BJP-led NDA, the opposing force of Banerjee in West Bengal.
However, Kishor had tough times too as he failed to guide the Congress to victory in Uttar Pradesh assembly polls in 2017.
Despite the call to win all 42 Lok Sabha seats, the TMC, which rules the state, had to remain satisfied with 22 seats, 12 less than its 2014 poll tally. Making a deep inroad in West Bengal, the BJP has won 18 seats, the highest ever by the saffron party in the eastern state.
Following the election results, several TMC leaders switched to the BJP.
Amid the changing of sides, the BJP is stating the TMC won't be able to continue its government till 2021 as Banerjee's party will lose its majority within six to 12 months from now.
Resembling to her days as the opposition leader, Banerjee raised suspicion over the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) which she believes were tampered to electorally benefit the BJP. Also she has demanded the bringing back of ballot papers to conduct the future elections.
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