Strategist Prashant Kishor meets NCP leaders after winning Bankipur seat, sparking BJP ire

Jan Suraaj party founder and noted political consultant Prashant Kishor traveled to Mumbai to meet NCP deputy chief Sunetra Pawar and her son, MP Parth Pawar, shortly after his triumph in the Bankipur by-election, a constituency long held by the BJP. This marks Kishor's second discussion with the NCP duo in three months, fueling rumors that the party may be courting him as a political adviser. The BJP, which shares power with the NCP in the state coalition, condemned the meeting, saying it is inconsistent to fight elections together while consulting a strategist whose recent identity centers on defeating the BJP.

During the 2024 state elections, the NCP's campaign was designed by the firm Design Box, but the two later severed ties. Parth Pawar had previously downplayed any advisory role for Kishor on social media, describing him as a family friend who had stepped back from political consulting years ago.