Prashant Kishor on Sunday confirmed his plans of quitting his role as an election strategist after helping the TMC and the DMK in the recently held assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The 44-year-old also sidestepped questions on whether he wanted to pursue politics full-time. 

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Speaking to NDTV, Kishor announced his intention to “quit this space” and “do something else in life.”

“I do not want to continue what I am doing. I have done enough. Time for me to take a break and do something else in life. I want to quit this space,” he said. 

He also spoke about not having met his family for months, saying he would rather spend time with them and focus on other things in life. 

On questions regarding his future, Kishor said he has tried his hand at politics, and failed. “I am a failed politician, I have to see what I have to do.” 

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Kishore’s first major election campaign saw him help then-Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi get re-elected for a third term in 2012. He went on to help the BJP ascend to power in the 2014 general elections. 

Speaking on the recently concluded West Bengal elections, he said it was a “tough fight”, despite the trends showing a clear majority for the Trinamool Congress. He said that the Election Commission was “blatantly partial” and made their campaign difficult, saying that they had to go “through hell”. 

“Mr Modi’s popularity won’t mean BJP will win all elections,” he added. 

In December, Kishor had made a big “save this tweet” prediction for the BJP, saying they will struggle to cross double digits in West Bengal, where the party currently leads on 81 seats, according to ECI data. 

“For all the hype AMPLIFIED by a section of supportive media, in reality BJP will struggle to CROSS DOUBLE DIGITS in #WestBengal

PS: Please save this tweet and if BJP does any better I must quit this space!” he tweeted. 

Trinamool Congress looks set for a third successive term in the state, currently leading on 202 seats out of the assembly’s 292 seats. The majority-mark in the state is 147. A number of opposition leaders have already congratulated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the win.