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Eye on 2022, Amarinder appoints Prashant as principal advisor, salary Re 1

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 3/2/2021 12:14:30 PM

Chandigarh, Mar 1 Ayear before Punjab heads for assembly elections, CM Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday announced that election strategist Prashant Kishor had joined his team. "Prashant Kishor has joined me as my Principal Advisor. Look forward to working together for the betterment of the people of Punjab," Amarinder Singh said. Amarinder Singh had previously employed Kishor's Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) to handle his poll campaign in Punjab in the 2017 assembly polls -- which led to a resounding victory for the Congress in the state. Congress had won 77 out of 117 seats last time but some other factors like decade-old antiincumbency against the SAD-BJP government had also played a big role in the 2017 assembly elections. Sources close to the CMO say Captain Amarinder Singh had been trying to rope in Prashant Kishor since June 2020 when one of his aides had called a meeting of party MLAs to consult them about hiring the strategist. However, Prashant Kishor due to some reason had expressed inability to take the assignment last year. Reportedly, Captain Amarinder Singh personally spoke to Prashant Kishor a number of times and had asked him to formulate the party's strategy for the 2022 Punjab assembly elections. There were also rumours that AAP was keen to hire Prashant Kishor but the party leadership had denied it was seeking the I-PAC's services. The Punjab Cabinet has also cleared the appointment of Prashant Kishor as Principal Advisor to Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister. According to the notification, Prashant Kishor's salary will just be a token amount of Re 1! He, however, will get other facilities such as a government residence and an office.