State scan: The rise and rise of Prashant Kishor in Janata Dal (United)

As soon as he joined the JD (U), Kishor started preparing the ground

When poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor joined the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) last month in the presence of the media, he was sitting beside party president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. “He is the future, I tell you,” said a jubilant Kumar, looking at Kishor, who smiled back. 
 

The unusual introductory remarks made Kishor’s role explicitly clear to the old guard. Within a couple of days, he was asked to take up the challenging task of devising a seat-sharing formula for the National Democratic Alliance  in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. A month later on October 16,