'Prashant Kishor not in talks with AAP, happy to help in 2022 poll campaign': Punjab CM

Addressing a virtual press conference on Friday, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh revealed that political strategist Prashant Kishor had responded positively to shape the Congress' Assembly election campaign in 2022. Kishor and his team of 250 IPAC volunteers had played a crucial role in the party winning 77 out of the 117 Assembly seats in the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls. According to Singh, he had been authorized by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on inducting Kishor.

Moreover, he divulged that 55 MLAs were in favour of roping in Kishor for the Assembly elections. The Punjab CM added that Kishor had ruled out any association with either Navjot Singh Sidhu or AAP. Moreover, Singh described the political strategist as a "family member". 

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Recalling that he had termed the 2017 elections as his last stint in electoral politics, Singh observed that he had changed his stance on the persuasion of his party colleagues. While maintaining that he would contest the next Assembly polls, he reckoned that the Congress president would take a call on the leadership of the party in the state. Stressing that Navjot Sidhu was a part of the Congress and in touch with the party high command, the Punjab CM urged party members having any concerns to talk with him. 

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A series of targeted campaigns

During the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls campaign, IPAC envisaged the ‘Coffee with Captain’ and ‘Punjab da Captain’ initiatives which connected extremely well with the people of the state. A series of targeted, single-issue campaigns managed to penetrate over 10 million individual voters before the day of voting. For instance, the 'Har Ghar Captain' scheme promised a job for every family as well as an interim Rs 2,500 unemployment allowance for the first 100 days after Captain Amarinder Singh assuming charge as the CM. It attracted nearly 4 million youth. Other campaigns included the promise of waiving off loans of farmers and 'Captain Smart Connect' smartphones. 

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