Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj Party and former poll strategist, has revealed that he charges more than Rs 100 crore as the fee for providing election strategy services to political parties and leaders. His disclosure came on October 31, during one of the campaign rallies for the upcoming Bihar by-polls, the India Today reported.
While addressing an event in Bihar's Belaganj, the new entrant to Bihar politics, Kishor said that people often ask him about the sources of funding behind the activities of Jan Suraaj.
"Ten governments in different states are running on my strategies. Do you think I won't have enough money to set up tents and canopies for my campaign? Do you think I am that weak? In Bihar, no one has heard of fees like mine. If I advise someone in just one election, my fee is Rs 100 crore or even more. For the next two years, I can continue to fund my campaign with just one such election advice,” India Today quoted Prashant Kishor as saying.
In addition to Belaganj, by-elections are set to take place in the Imamganj, Ramgarh, and Tarari assembly constituencies. These seats became vacant earlier this year after the respective MLAs resigned following their election to the Lok Sabha.
Kishor first came to the national limelight when he worked with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2014 general election, helping PM Modi in a sweeping victory. In 2015, Kishor helped the RJD-JDU alliance secure a victory against the BJP in the Bihar assembly polls.
Prashant Kishor collaborated with the Congress for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly election, though the campaign did not achieve the desired results. However, he later played a key role in helping Congress secure a victory in the 2021 Punjab assembly elections.