Kishor's Dual Role Sparks Criticism from BJP and Congress

: The meeting between newly elected Jan Suraj MLA and party founder Prashant Kishor with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar has drawn criticism from both the BJP and the Congress. Leaders from both parties questioned Kishor's apparent dual role, alleging that he is working against the political interests of his own party while simultaneously advising the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a BJP ally in Maharashtra. According to sources, Kishor recently held a closed-door meeting lasting nearly five hours with Sunetra Pawar at her official residence, Devgiri, in south Mumbai. He is learnt to have agreed to serve as the NCP's political strategist and adviser after the party reportedly ended its association with Bengaluru-based political consulting firm Design Box. Sources said the NCP has tasked Kishor with revamping the party's organisational strategy, strengthening Sunetra Pawar's leadership image, and designing a campaign to project her as the party's chief ministerial face for the 2029 Maharashtra Assembly elections. "Sunetra Pawar and her son, Rajya Sabha MP Parth Pawar, first met Prashant Kishor over dinner in Delhi before holding another meeting in Mumbai. Last Thursday, Kishor met the two at Devgiri, where discussions continued for nearly five hours. He has agreed to help the NCP rebuild its organisation, project Sunetra Pawar's leadership, and expand its support base among women as well as secular and progressive voters," a source said, requesting anonymity.