Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday signalled his return to the grassroots politics with plans to launch a socio-political outfit from his native state Bihar with an intention to better understand the issues of the people and the path to jan suraj or people’s good governance.

Kishor is currently in Patna confabulating with people from various walks of life, and has plans to tour various parts of the state, including East Champaran and West Champaran districts from where Mahatma Gandhi had launched his Satyagraha in 1917. He will announce his blueprint on May 5.

“My quest to be a meaningful participation in democracy and help shape pro-people policy led to a 10-year rollercoaster ride! As I turn the page, time to go to the real masters. THE PEOPLE, to better understand the issues and the path to jan suraj – People’s Good Governance,” Kishor tweeted on Monday.

“Beginning from Bihar,” Kishor added to the tweet, triggering a political heat wave in this scorching summer.

The short announcement on Twitter came just six days after the breakdown of his negotiations with the Congress to join and revive its fortunes. He had declined the offer to join the party’s empowered action group and take responsibility for the elections.Congress leaders revealed that he had wanted Priyanka Gandhi as the party president, and a freehand to bring spectacular changes in the grand old party, to be the reasons behind the breakdown of the talks with Kishor.

Back in Patna, an office of his I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee), which handles election strategy services, was bustling with activity. Sources said around 400 people are currently working on tasks allotted to them. Many of them are newly hired young professionals from various streams.

Meanwhile, Kishor met select people from different fields at the house of 15th Finance Commission chairperson N.K. Singh and former Lok Sabha member Uday Singh aka Pappu Singh in the state capital throughout the day. He outlined his plans to them and sought their support.

Sources told The Telegraph that Kishor had been in touch with them for the past one month and called them to the meeting venue.

“I want to go among the people with your support. They currently stand divided on the basis of caste, creed and occupation among other things. There is not much difference between the governments that come to power. I want to ask them whether they are happy with their situation or want a change,” Kishor told the people he met.

The election strategist also outlined his plan to them and an intention to have a structure at the grassroots to take up people’s work.

“I want to visit villages in each district of Bihar for the next one year. I want to listen to their problems, aspirations and wishes. We will bring people from various walks of life to our organisation in every district. We have to do serious work,” Kishor told the visitors while outlining his plan to raise an outfit.

What Kishor revealed to the people he met has similarities with The Plurals Party (TPP) that made an entry into Bihar politics before the 2020 Assembly elections. Its president Pushpam Priya Choudhary, who studied at the London School of Economics (LSE), toured the state extensively as part of her campaign.

Though TPP did not win any seat, it did manage to get a few thousand votes in many constituencies it contested, indicating that a section of the people, young and restless, was not happy with the traditional political parties.

Kishor’s planned political stint will not be a new one. He offered his services to chief minister Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal United (JDU) in the run-up to 2015 Assembly elections after falling out with the BJP. He had offered his services to the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and came out with flying colours. The ‘chai pe charcha’ (discussion over tea) was one of his successful ideas in the BJP campaign.

The JDU at that time was not with the BJP and contested the Assembly elections as a part of the Grand Alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. The alliance drubbed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to come to power.

Kishor was instrumental in setting-up the Bihar Vikas Mission (BVM) after the poll victory in 2015 — a government body to formulate and monitor the execution of development and welfare schemes. He was made an advisor to the chief minister and accorded the status of a cabinet minister.

The election strategist offered services to the Congress in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in 2017. Punjab was a success, but Uttar Pradesh, where he emulated his ‘chai pe charcha’ in the form of ‘khaat pe charcha’ (discussion on a charpoy) was a failure. People ran away with the charpoys from Rahul Gandhi’s meeting instead of listening to his speech.

Later in September 2018, Kishor joined the JDU as its national vice-president, number two in hierarchy in the party, but had to quit in January 2020 after differences with Nitish and other party leaders. He went on to launch the ‘Baat Bihar Ki’ programme to connect one crore people across 8,800 panchayats in three months and work for the development of the state.

However, the programme fizzled out due to the lack of will and Covid-19 pandemic hitting the country.

Kishor played a major role in landmark wins of YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi in 2020, DMK in Tamil Nadu and Trinamul Congress in 2021.