Many people increasingly feel that political strategists are highly overrated and that the real strength of any political party comes from its ground-level karyakartas.
Grassroots workers spend years building networks, understanding local sentiment and staying connected with voters in an organic way.
Strategists, on the other hand, often collect inputs from these workers, package them professionally and present them as their own political intelligence.
The difference is visible in their style of functioning. Karyakartas work tirelessly on the ground, travel extensively and directly face the public.
Strategists usually operate from offices, speak polished English, wear formal suits and present data-driven reports to party leaderships.
This creates an impression that they are the masterminds behind electoral victories, while the actual field workers rarely receive due recognition for their efforts.
Recent political developments have strengthened this argument for many observers.
Strategists who separately worked for parties like the TDP and YCP in Andhra Pradesh later joined hands to work for the DMK in Tamil Nadu.
Despite all the hype around election management and campaign planning, the party reportedly faced a disappointing outcome.
Similarly, critics often point out that several parties associated with iPAC suffered recent electoral defeats despite spending huge amounts on strategy and branding.
Another argument frequently raised is about Prashant Kishor himself. Critics question how a strategist who could not achieve electoral success for his own political venture can claim expertise in guiding major political parties.
According to this view, elections are ultimately decided by public mood and political waves rather than sophisticated presentations or analytics.
Many believe political consultancy has become a high-paying industry where strategists earn hundreds of crores, while grassroots workers continue to struggle without recognition or financial benefit.
In the end, no strategist can manufacture victory if genuine public support for a party does not exist on the ground. And when genuine public support already exists, there may be no need for a strategist at all.
