I-PAC founder Prashant Kishor(L) and TD supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu. (By Arrangement)

Hyderabad: Talks are at an advanced stage to rope in Prashant Kishor, founder of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and rated as one of the top political and electoral strategists in the country, to come to the aid of the Telugu Desam in Andhra Pradesh.

Kishor was reportedly persuaded by Trinamul Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to help former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and national president of the Telugu Desam (TD) Nara Chandrababu Naidu, her old friend. These talks, though not finalised, according to reliable sources, are reportedly at an advanced stage and might fructify soon into a formal relationship.

In a series of different exclusive conversations, sources in Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad have confirmed that conversations which started back in June 2021, after the resounding victory of the TMC in the Bengal Assembly elections, are now being considered seriously for finalisation.

As per sources, Naidu, even while he is making efforts to re-enter the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP, reportedly reached out to Mamata Banerjee for help to rope in PK, as Kishor is popularly referred to.

It was an old friendship with Naidu which prompted "Didi" to help him access Kishor, as per sources. Banerjee ensured a confidential meeting was held between Naidu and Kishor in Kolkata. Afterwards, in a follow-up, Nara Lokesh, son of Naidu and former minister in the AP government, met Kishor along with Abhishek Banerjee, again in Kolkata.

Abhishek Banerjee, who is the nephew of Mamata Banerjee, serves as the general secretary of the TMC and is a Lok Sabha MP. A friendship of sorts developed between Abhishek Banerjee and Lokesh, both heirs to their respective parties. Upon Abhishek Banerjee’s intervention, there were subsequent rounds of discussions with Kishor and the TD’s top leadership.

Kishor publicly quit the role of a consultant after a big win in the West Bengal state Assembly elections in 2021, in which he managed the TMC’s campaign and helped the party score an emphatic win over the BJP. He then founded Jan Suraj and entered politics in his home state of Bihar.

Interestingly, the I-PAC, under the guidance of Koshor, played a crucial role in helping the YSRC, led by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, defeat the TD in the AP state Assembly elections in 2019. Currently, I-PAC still handles the election and communications strategy for Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Last year, after Kishor plunged into politics, launching a padayatra from Champaran in Bihar, the place chosen to coincide with Mahatma Gandhi’s first satyagraha campaign, the TMC top duo broached the subject of a tripartite alliance.

Naidu, who has been actively trying to get back into the BJP-led NDA fold ahead of the elections next year, has more or less reportedly persuaded Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan to ally with the TD. "Naidu seems to be wanting to power his campaign with the power of not one but two PKs. But the YSRC is way ahead in popularity and will win the polls resoundingly, again," said a party leader.

However, he expressed confidence that Kishor will not join the TD or end his relationship with the YSRC.

When reached out, a source in the TMC said, "Mamata Didi is helping Naidu because she wants the TD to join I.N.D.I.A. alliance of the Opposition. But there is no clarity on that part yet."

Naidu is not keen to go against the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is keen to be inducted into the NDA, but the BJP has so far kept him at bay. Contrastingly, while Jagan Mohan Reddy has maintained a good relationship with the Centre and the top BJP leaders, he has refused to join the NDA.

A leader in the Telugu Desam, who is amongst a handful in the know of these talks, said, "For Naidu, this relationship is also about creating a vibrant team of three young leaders — Lokesh, Abhishek and Prashant — who all have a great future ahead."

All three of them are presently in a public outreach mode. Lokesh is undertaking a padayatra in AP, Kishor is on a padayatra in Bihar since October 2 of last year, while Banerjee too is currently undertaking a massive public outreach campaign.

A political leader in Delhi revealed that Kishor and Jagan Mohan Reddy also met recently during which Reddy asked Kishor to visit Vijayawada. "Jagan Reddy came to see PK in Delhi recently. It was after PK fell ill for a while. They seem to have had a long discussion."

A senior BJP leader, who has a keen eye on the state, when asked if such a regrouping would have an immediate impact on Andhra Pradesh elections, said, "It will have no bearing. It is the BJP-Jana Sena alliance which will play a key role in forming the next government."

But the die seems cast and stage set for impactful changes in days ahead.