A file photo of JD(U) party national vice-president Prashant Kishor (middle) at an event to induct former Bihar Congress president Ram Jatan Sinha (left) into the party in Patna.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha and Bihar Assembly polls, the JD(U) vice-president is using social media tools to attract young voters for expanding the party’s footprint. The new party entrants will be tested in electoral politics at various levels. 

Patna: Poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor who has been widely credited with the massive victory of the grand secular alliance in the 2015 Bihar Assembly elections has now turned his focus on expanding his ruling Janata Dal (United)’s base in the state and set a target of bringing one lakh youth into the party’s fold before Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Mr Kishor who was appointed JD(U) national vice-president in September last year by party chief and chief minister Nitish Kumar has been regularly organising camps at the party’s state office here for motiviating youth to join the party, sources said.

As per an assessment, more than 16,000 people, mostly youth, have joined the JD(U) in the first phase and 16,000 more from across the state are likely to be inducted into the party in another couple of months.

“Around 16,000 youth joined that party in the first phase and we are hopeful that in the coming days, we will see the number crossing 50,000 in Bihar,” Ashish Kumar, a JD(U) youth wing leader, told this newspaper.  

Mr Kishor had started working on the strategy to expand the party’s base in the state immediately after his appointment as the second most powerful man in the JD(U) after chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Party’s youth wing leaders said that Mr Kishor used the social media platform to interact with youth and understand their viewpoint on Mr Kumar’s good governance policy as well as the state government’s developmental projects.

Sources said that youth were asked to provide personal details, including their parliamentary and Assembly constituencies, gram panchayat, voter I-card number and details of the friends’ list on social media platform before being shortlisted for meetings.

JD(U) insiders told this newspaper that Mr Kishor has set a target of bring one lakh aspiring youth into the party fold and test them in electoral politics at various levels. Political analysts see this a unique way to expand the party’s footprint in Bihar before elections. They are of the opinion that the party has been worried about general elections due to BJP’s performance in three Hindi heartland states. They said that Mr Kishor’s prime focus is to bring youth to the forefront. The move will not only help the JD(U) in 2020 Assembly elections but will also increase the NDA’s voters base in general elections in Bihar.

In a message through his Facebook page earlier, Mr Kishor had asked the youth wing of his party to propagate Nitish Kumar’s agenda under banners like “campus politics” and “Jago voters”.

Students associated with the party or who became the members were also asked to organise street plays and debates to create awareness about the state government’s developmental schemes.

Mr Kishor shot to fame in 2014 for designing high-tech and successful campaign for Narendra Modi, the then prime ministerial candidate of the BJP. A year later, he collaborated with Nitish Kumar who returned as chief minister of Bihar for the third term.

A buzz was created in political circle here after Mr Kishor met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai last week. He, however, denied reports that he has been offered to craft an election strategy for Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

“I was invited for lunch by Shiv Sena chief when I was in Mumbai. I am a member of the JD(U) which is a constituent of the NDA and there is nothing wrong in meeting another ally,” Mr Kishor said in Patna earlier this week.

When asked about chances of Nitish Kumar becoming the Prime Minister in the event of BJP falling short of numbers in the 2019 general elections, he said, “Narendra Modi is the prime ministerial candidate and I am sure he will return as the Prime Minister again in 2019.”

He, however, added that JD(U) is the third largest NDA constituent after BJP and Shiv Sena.