Former political strategist Prashant Kishore’s recent meetings with actor-turned-politician Vijay and senior leaders of his party, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), have set off widespread speculations in Tamil Nadu. While no official statement has been released by TVK, the interactions have fueled discussions on potential political alignments ahead of upcoming elections.
Prashant Kishore, often referred to as PK, has been a key figure in shaping electoral victories for several national and regional parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
PK met Vijay at the actor’s residence on February 10. The following day, he held discussions with TVK’s newly appointed campaign general secretary Aadhav Arjuna, general secretary Bussy Anand, and Vijay’s political advisor, John Arokiasamy. The agenda of these discussions remains undisclosed, but political circles are abuzz with speculation regarding possible re-alignments with other Opposition parties in the state.
Reportedly PK had been attempting to secure such a meeting even ahead of the TVK’s first state-level conference in October last year. It is speculated that the meeting was finally facilitated by Aadhav Arjuna.
In 2022, PK announced his retirement from political consultancy and the launch of his own party the Jan Suraaj.
Ahead of the 2024 general elections, both I-PAC—a political strategy firm considered PK’s brainchild—and ShowTime Consulting set up by I-PAC co-founder Robin Sharma, were in talks with the DMK in Tamil Nadu. The DMK finally chose ShowTime, and are still consulting with them. Also in 2024, PK was widely believed to have been advising Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu ahead of his landslide Assembly election victory. Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was consulting with ShowTime at the time.