'Quitting this space', says Prashant Kishor as TMC poised to sweep Bengal; calls EC 'extension of BJP'

Kolkata: Election strategist Prashant Kishor, who had claimed back in December that the BJP will struggle to cross double digits in the West Bengal Assembly polls or else he will quit, Sunday announced he is “quitting this space”. He also came down hard on the Election Commission,accusing it of being an “extension of BJP”. “I am quitting this space,” he told India Today TV channel after trends showed a landslide victory for the TMC, the party whose election strategy he helped craft for the Assembly elections. “I have never seen a more partial Election Commission, it did everything to help BJP…. from allowing use of religion to scheduling poll and bending rules, EC did everything tohelp the BJP,” he said, calling the poll panel an “extension"of the saffron party. Talking to NDTV, Kishor stuck to his stand that the BJP was a formidable force in West Bengal. He said he was confident about the TMC’s victory despite the BJP’s attempt to “build a massive propaganda” that it was winning. “The result may look like one-sided but it was a tough fight. BJP is a formidable force and will be,” he said. “…,in reality BJP will struggle to cross double digits in #WestBengal,” he had tweeted as early as December last year and his words proved prophetic. “If BJP does any better, I must quit this space!”, he had said.