Nitish Kumar's JD-U to go for image makeover

Bihar's ruling party JD-U decided on Saturday to go for a major image makeover, including a vigorous effort to take the message of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's 'sushasan' (good governance) model to the grassroots.

Party leaders and workers from district, block and panchayat-levels would reinforce Nitish Kumar's public image as a guarantor of good governance and repel the attacks by the BJP-led opposition which has been portraying his return to power in November 2015 elections as a "return to jungle raj" for the state.

The JD-U meeting on Saturday, chaired by state party president Vashshist Narain Singh, had major inputs from Nitish Kumar's new advisor Prashant Kishor, an image building specialist credited with great electoral successes from Narendra Modi's campaign for the 2012 Gujarat assembly election to Mahagathbandhan's (Grand Alliance's) landslide in last year's Bihar polls.

"Prashant Kishor is not a politician but was prominent in defining the role of JD-U's leaders and workers at the party meeting attended by all district presidents and state party office-bearers, a party leader said.

Breaking from the conventional politics, he gave several tips to party leaders on how to work for image building of Nitish Kumar and to counter opposition BJP and its allies, the party leader said.

Kishor also presented a blueprint for transforming JD-U into a tech savvy party.

Kishor was made an advisor to Nitish Kumar last month after playing a successful innings as a poll strategist during the last year's Bihar assembly polls.

He will advise the chief minister on policy and implementation of his seven resolves.