Claiming that Mamata Banerjee remains powerful in the state of West Bengal, political strategist Prashant Kishor has said that the BJP is a formidable political force in the state and cannot be underestimated.
"Make no mistake. The BJP is a formidable political force in Bengal and there are no two ways about it. But after factoring in everything, the BJP will not cross 100 and the Trinamool is going to win... and they are winning big, said Prashant Kishor to NDTV. Kishor's statement comes after Clubhouse chat with a journalist describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a popular leader in Bengal and listing factors favouring the BJP in the state polls caused a sensation on the weekend.
Miss Banerjee's political strategist also said that "I agree that it is a very close fight in the first four rounds, but it means that the BJP, even in its strongholds, is in a tight race with the Trinamool Congress."
"Part of my job as a strategist is to not underestimate the competition," said the poll strategist.
"The Trinamool's strongholds are voting in the later rounds and the BJP strongholds voted in the first few phases. This sort of scheduling helps create a so-called BJP wave along with their propaganda machinery and infinite resources. It gives them a psychological advantage. The schedule should have been fair and transparent. I have never seen this sort of schedule till now. The same district is voting in three phases," Kishor said.
On April 11, several BJP leaders shared links to Mr Kishor's Clubhouse chat saying he had all but conceded the election and had virtually declared a BJP victory.
