evidence: Kishor, in many ways, is an enigma — has no mass base, no real power, does not have a perfect track record and yet, remains powerful, relevant and in-demand. This is an art he has mastered. Essentially, like any good salesman, Prashant Kishor needs a solid product to sell — Narendra Modi, Amarinder Singh, Jagan Mohan Reddy. But he is far from the magician he is made out to be or models himself to be, and cannot turn weak sides into stronger ones. [...] Prashant Kishor has delivered several impressive results — from Modi in 2014, the mahagathbandhan in Bihar in 2015 to Amarinder Singh in 2017 and Jagan Reddy in 2019 — and yet, the question to be asked is whether these successes can be attributed to the poll strategist, given the instances where his ‘magic’ hasn’t quite worked. [...] Prashant Kishor knows the importance and art of branding, and of aggressively peddling that brand, substance or not — including his own. Moreover, this is a revolutionary concept for Indian politics, where ‘party loyalty’ is all-important and those switching sides are seen as part of the Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram syndrome.