New Delhi: Janata Dal (United) president Nitesh Kumar on Tuesday appointed Prashant Kishor as the party’s vice president, effectively making him the second most powerful person in the party.Kishor, who has worked for a number of parties as a poll strategist, recently joined the ruling party in Bihar. He is seen to be close to Kumar, also the state’s chief minister.Kishor was closely associated with Narendra Modi when the latter was Gujarat’s chief minister. He began his career as a poll strategist in 2012 and made headlines after crafting BJP’s campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. After falling out with a “very senior leader” in the party, he parted ways with the BJP.Also read: Poll Strategist Prashant Kishor Joins JD(U) in Nitish Kumar’s PresenceIn the 2015 Bihar elections, Kishor was JD(U)’s poll strategist. The party, by allying with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress, was able to keep the BJP out of the state. Kishor’s efforts were awarded when he was an advisor to the chief minister, with a cabinet minister status.However, in July 2017, Nitish Kumar broke ranks and joined hands with the BJP.Commenting on Kishor’s appointment as JD(U)’s vice president, party spokesperson K.C. Tyagi said the appointment will help the party reach out to social segments out of its traditional support base.In a recent interaction at IIT-Delhi, Kishor said that BJP is still in lead. However, he refused to predict the winner of the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.In a recent interaction at IIT-Delhi, Kishor said that BJP is still in lead.“Wish I knew the answer. The BJP is the party to defeat. They are still in lead position. I do not have a prediction to make,” said Kishor.“Approval ratings indicate people might not be as euphoric as they were in 2014 for BJP but they’re still there. It doesn’t matter who I think will win because at the end of the day, what the majority believes is right,” he added.Apart from suggesting that the BJP strike off demonetisation from their political campaign, the former I-PAC chief spoke against M.J. Akbar’s stance over allegations of sexual harassment. He said, “I don’t necessarily speak on the behalf of the government. It is for him to take a call. If allegations have come up, it is for him to step aside and resign. I still believe he should take it on his own and the government should ask him.”(With PTI inputs)