Clubhouse journalists balk at BJP's WB gains, Prashant Kishor makes big admission

A leaked Clubhouse conversation between TMC's election strategist and IPAC chief Prashant Kishor and 'Clubhouse journalists' on the possible outcome of the West Bengal Assembly elections has stirred controversy. 

The leaked Clubhouse chat with Prashant Kishor features Ravish Kumar, Swati Chaturvedi, Arfa Khanum, Mitali Mukherjee, Rohini Singh, Sanjay Hegde and several other journalists on Clubhouse. On the Clubhouse tape, the poll-strategist is heard admitting that parties, including the TMC, used the Muslim community to gain votes. Prashant Kishor goes on to acknowledge the tremendous support and popularity that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has. 

Prashant Kishor's leaked conversation with Clubhouse journos

TMC STRATEGIST ON CLUBHOUSE TAPE: ADMITS BJP ENJOYS SUPPORT OF 75% MATUAS

 On being asked by the Clubhouse Journalists about which way the Matua Community is voting, the poll-strategist revealed that he feels the BJP enjoyed the support of 75% of the Matua community. In fact, Prashant Kishor goes on to say, “there are a lot of BJP workers on ground.  All those workers could have been imported from the left, but are dedicatedly working for BJP. There is no area or district in West Bengal, where there is no huge support for BJP. ”

TMC STRATEGIST ADMITS: MASSIVE POPULARITY OF NARENDRA MODI IN BENGAL

Responding to a questioned posed to the poll-strategist by Ravish Kumar regarding the lack of anti-incumbency faced by the Modi government, Prashant Kishor says, “The anti-incumbency is against the state govt and not the central govt and Modi is popular here, very popular. If we are doing a leader survey then Modi and Mamata are equally popular. Which is a very big thing, Modi is very popular.”

In the course of the conversation with the Clubhouse journalists,  Prashant Kishor also goes on to reveal that parties underestimated the presence of BJP's ground workers in Bengal and claimed that these workers 'could have been imported from the Left but were working dedicatedly for the BJP'. The poll-strategist claimed that the anger against TMC, the polarisation and PM Modi's popularity alongside BJP's electoral machinery had opened the doors for the saffron party to polarise and get SC votes. 

OPEN ADMISSION: MUSLIMS HAVE BEEN USED BY SEVERAL PARTIES INCLUDING TMC

In the leaked clubhouse tape, Prashant Kishor admits that Muslims have been used by several parties electorally including the TMC. He says, “There has been blatant effort to appease the minorities. Look at West Bengal, politics here, whoever casts vote for Muslims will form the government.”

INNER THINKING OF CLUBHOUSE JOURNALIST ECOSYSTEM EXPOSED

In the leaked conversation, Sanjay Hegde can be heard warning the Clubhouse journalists that their discussion with Prashant Kishor could be recorded by the application and that it was often seen as evidence. The leaked conversation reveals the inner thinking of the Clubhouse journalist ecosystem. The Clubhouse journalists can be heard sharing their concern over the popularity of PM Modi and the growth of the BJP in West Bengal. 

Prashant Kishor responds

Responding to his leaked conversation with the Clubhouse journalists, Prashant Kishor claimed that he was glad the BJP was taking his chat more seriously than the words of their leaders. The TMC's poll-strategist dared BJP to share the full conversation instead of using parts of it. Further, Kishor reiterated that BJP would not cross the 100 seat mark in the West Bengal Assembly elections. 

I am glad BJP is taking my chat more seriously than words of their own leaders!😊

They should show courage & share the full chat instead of getting excited with selective use of parts of it.

I have said this before & repeating again - BJP will not to CROSS 100 in WB. Period.

— Prashant Kishor (@PrashantKishor) April 10, 2021

BJP leaders mock TMC, Kishor for 'conceding defeat'

BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya claimed that TMC leaders and cadre woke up on the day of polling in the fourth phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections to see their poll-strategist concede the election. Sharing a series of tweets consisting of parts of Prashant Kishor's leaked conversation with the Clubhouse journalists, Amit Malviya took a dig at the Trinamool Congress. 

In a public chat on Club House, Mamata Banerjee’s election strategist concedes that even in TMC’s internal surveys, BJP is winning.

The vote is for Modi, polarisation is a reality, the SCs (27% of WB’s population), Matuas are all voting for the BJP!

BJP has cadre on ground. pic.twitter.com/3ToYuvWfRm

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 10, 2021