Patna: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor, the man credited with playing a key role in the electoral successes of Narendra Modi in 2014 and the JDU-RJD-Congress Grand Alliance in the 2015 Bihar Assembly election, on Sunday joined Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United at the party's state executive committee meeting here at 1 Aney Marg, the chief minister's official bungalow.

Nitish gave him the receipt of the party membership and party state unit president Bashishtha Narayan Singh placed on his shoulder a sash emblazoned with the party symbol.

Kishor greeted Nitish with folded hands and both hugged each other.

There was a blanket of secrecy thrown around the meeting - those who attended had to leave their mobile phones outside - but JDU sources said Kishor's entry into the party comes after much thought and planning.

"Prashant Kishor has been inducted in the party to downsize RCP Singh who is so far taking care of the party's functioning after Nitish ji," a senior JDU told The Telegraph under cover of anonymity. "Nitishji has got the feedback that party workers are unhappy with RCP. Many JDU leaders are also upset with RCP, and his differences with parliamentary affairs minister Shravan Kumar are already in the public domain."

Both Shravan and RCP hail from Nalanda, the home district of Nitish.

RCP is a 1984-batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He took voluntary retirement from the civil services in 2010 to work with Nitish. He was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in August 2010. He was private secretary to Nitish during his tenure as railway minister in the Vajpayee government. Nitish made RCP his principal secretary when he became CM in 2005.

The immediate change was visible on Sunday during the meeting as well; RCP was not sitting beside Nitish like he always does. On Nitish's right sat Kishor and Bashishtha was on the CM's left. RCP sat one chair away from Nitish.

RCP was recently on a state-wide tour holding atipichada sammellans (rallies for the extremely backward classes) but the response, JDU sources said, was not up to the mark.

Party leaders said they believe that after Kishor's entry things will change from top to bottom, and that Nitish is eager to use Kishor's managerial skills for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

His induction, JDU sources stressed, is also a message to the BJP as far as election management is concerned.

When The Telegraph asked RCP on Sunday whether Kishor was being inducted to downsize him, he shot back: "What is my size and how can you downsize it? I am just a 5-foot-4-inch tall person, how low can you make it now?"

Kishor, who landed in Patna on Saturday night, visited 7 Circular Road, the other bungalow Nitish occupies, on Sunday morning. From there, he went to 1 Aney Marg in Nitish's car.

The chief minister said that he was just as happy about Kishor joining as other JDU leaders were.