I-PAC 2.0: Members form smaller groups, focus on states where polls not near

10:27 PM ETDeveloping

Health Desk

In Short: I-PAC, a political consultancy firm, is regrouping after a series of electoral reverses by forming smaller entities to focus on states where polls are not imminent.

The Indian Express, a leading newspaper, states that at least three smaller companies have been set up—Parlin Research and Insights, VoterBridge, and The Mandate Labs—each having links to I-PAC. These entities are working under the aegis of VoterBridge, a firm founded by Vasudha Singh, the wife of I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel.

A senior member of the team in Bagalkot told The Indian Express, "After the electoral setback and Enforcement Directorate (ED) action in Bengal, we have to lie low and regroup. It is a matter of survival now. We are working though the I-PAC brand is not being used." The focus is fully on resolving organizational issues, as a member of the Mumbai-based team explained.

Sources indicate that around 20 members are helping put the organization of the party in order, which remains in turmoil after the death of its supremo Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in January this year. A former I-PAC employee said the intervention of Prashant Kishor helped get them the NCP deal.

With polls in Karnataka scheduled only in 2028, the team feels it has enough time to re-establish itself. "With no elections in the state for the next three years, the focus is fully on resolving organizational issues," a member of the Mumbai-based team said. The firm is being steered by a senior I-PAC hand, according to sources.

Despite the formation of these smaller entities, repeated attempts to contact I-PAC director Rishi Raj Singh went unanswered. The firm is working under the aegis of VoterBridge, a firm founded by Vasudha Singh, the wife of I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel, and they are said to have advised the besieged NCP.

What's still developing

A source said I-PAC had worked with Patil earlier in 2021.
After a series of setbacks, including the recent electoral reverses in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu and the collapse of its proposed Uttar Pradesh assignment with the Samajwadi Party (SP), members of political consultancy firm I-PAC have floated smaller firms, seeking to rebuild through this route and keeping themselves distant from the brand name.
Though there was a buzz that he would re-enter the Council, he missed out in the recent MLC polls.

Sources

The Indian Expresslink