Prashant Kishor’s Bihar Faceplant: The Political Strategist Who Couldn’t Strategise His Own Win
Prashant Kishor entered Bihar with the swagger of a man who had helped script the biggest victories of the decade — Modi’s 2014 wave, Nitish’s 2015 comeback, Mamata’s Bengal surge. But the moment he stopped whispering in the ears of powerful leaders and stepped onto the stage himself, the myth evaporated. Because Prashant Kishor the strategist and Prashant Kishor the politician are two entirely different realities — and Bihar exposed that difference with surgical brutality. 1. Great Strategist, Non-existent Politician As a consultant, PK is brilliant: he manipulates data, messaging, booth management, optics, media narrative — all from behind the curtain. But politics does not reward invisibility. It rewards charisma, emotional resonance, and ground loyalty — things he simply doesn’t have. You can design the circus tent. But stepping into the ring with the lions is a different game. 2. Strategy ≠ Mass Appeal Helping someone else win and convincing people to vote for you are unrelated sk...