Sunil Kanugolu: Meet the poll strategist who paved Congress’ road to victory in Karnataka

Congress, which won the Karnataka polls with an impressive margin, has a lot of people to thank for its win – from the karyakartas to the leadership. However, one person, who might not be among star campaigners, who deserves equal credit is poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu, who was hired by the party in March last year.

Kanugolu devised new strategies for the party to counter BJP’s campaign and narratives. He used corruption as the key poll plank against the ruling party. But here’s where it gets interesting – he had done the same job for BJP in 2018. The strategist was part of poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s team that was instrumental in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign in 2014. He also played a key role in BJP’s election campaigns in Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka – all states that BJP went on to win.

Kanugolu had previously worked with DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu too.

For Karnataka, the poll strategist carried out surveys on the Congress candidates, which were key in the party’s picks. He has also been credited with planning Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, the march that covered 4,080 km from the southernmost tip of Kanyakumari to Jammu and Kashmir. Most party members and a lot of people from beyond the party believe that the yatra was instrumental in turning the tide for Congress.

Two months after he was hired, Sonia Gandhi named him as a member of the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha election task force.

Looking to achieve the same winning streak as BJP, the Congress has also given the task to shape the campaign for Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, scheduled to take place at the end of the year. As the Karnataka elections end now, the strategist will focus on Madhya Pradesh and set up his office in the state.  

In the 2018 MP Assembly elections, the Congress had emerged as the largest party by winning 114 seats in the 230-member House, while the BJP won 109 seats, and formed a coalition government under Kamal Nath. But a rebellion by Jyotiradiya Scindia led to several Congress MLAs resigning from the party, and joining BJP, resulting in the return of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister.

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