If political irony needed a brand ambassador, Prashant Kishor has just walked onto the stage, shook hands with the audience, and dissolved his own organisation before delivering the keynote.
Jan Suraaj, the grand experiment that was supposed to usher in ‘good governance’, has now been swept away like monsoon water, swiftly and silently.
After polling a majestic 3.44 per cent of the vote, PK has shut down everything from the state unit to the panchayat unit. A clean sweep, at least organisationally.
One would imagine that the man who scripted victories for half the political galaxy, from Modi’s 2014 blitzkrieg to Nitish Kumar’s 2015 resurrection and Amarinder Singh’s princely comeback, would by now have mastered the modest task of winning one seat for himself.
But politics, like cricket, has a cruel sense of humour. The trusted coach who trains world-class batsmen often discovers that he cannot connect bat to ball when he walks in to face the first delivery.
As a meme quipped: a barber cannot cut his own hair. And as PK discovered, a political strategist cannot always strategise his own win.
A win for everyone except himself
Does PK’s wipe-out suggest that all the victories he choreographed were flukes?
Perhaps the political giants he advised were simply lucky or capable in their own right.
Suddenly, a shadow of doubt looms over the hallowed corridors of I-PAC, the very organisation that managed to rebrand electioneering as corporate consultancy. If its founder cannot win his own seat, should clients begin to look for an astrologer instead?
At least the astrologer can blame planetary misalignment. PK can only blame voting machines he himself once helped others weaponize in narrative battles.
The future looks like TED Talks
With Jan Suraaj folded up like a failed start-up at an investors’ meet and his political career parked in the limbo zone, the question arises: Whither PK?
Perhaps the TEDx circuit awaits. ‘How I failed honourably with good intentions may trend on YouTube. Or he may do a webinar titled ‘Election Strategy 101 – Please do not try this on yourself’.
He may even offer consultancy to himself at a discounted rate, though judging by recent results, the client may decline.
Bihar remains the biggest loser
What remains is a faint sadness. Sarcasm aside, Bihar deserved better. For all his flaws, PK did speak the language of governance, roads, schools, health care, and accountability. He made young people believe that change was possible without dynasty, muscle or money.
But good intentions do not win elections. Bihar, after briefly flirting with the idea of a different future, has returned to its familiar circle of political deja vu.
Perhaps PK ploughed everything he had into this doomed venture. Time, money, reputation, and even his famous swagger. All for 3.44 percent and a dissolution notice.
The strategist who taught political parties how to win has now taught them how to lose. Jan Suraaj promised good governance. Instead, it has delivered the oldest truth in Indian politics: winning elections is easier said than strategized.
