BW Explains: Who Is Sunil Kanugolu; Man Credited For Congress’ Big Win In Karnataka
The Congress is celebrating its big victory in Karnataka and even though most people are crediting this win to Rahul Gandhi and DK Shivakumar, there is one man who has emerged as the strongest name to be crowned for this win. The man who was away from the limelight all this while but has been in the news ever since the results came out is Sunil Kanugolo, the party’s poll strategist who was hired just a year ago but ensured Congress victory and strengthened the party’s mandate.
After Prashant Kishore, Kanugolu is the second strategist in recent times who has shot to fame. Congress has now tasked Kanugolu for Madhya Pradesh, where the party even after winning in the 2018 Assembly polls lost power in 2020 after a rebellion by Jyotidaritya Scindia, who was known to be a close confidante of Rahul Gandhi
So who is Sunil Kanugolu? Let us help you know about the man of the hour.
His background
Born and brought up in Chennai, Kanugolu, originally a Telugu belongs to a business family.
He lives in Bengaluru now. Kanugolu had earlier worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the BJP’s campaign and had also helped the BJP in UP and is said to have played a key role in the resounding victory of Yogi Adityanath in 2017. He had also worked for DMK and AIADMK in the past.
His association with Congress
Kanugolu had also worked with election strategist Prashant Kishor in 2014 before parting ways.The Congress hired him last year in March.
Kanugolu was also responsible for supporting Bharat Jodo Yatra-led by Rahul Gandhi, which he kick-started from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari on 7 September 2022. Apart from Karnataka, Kanugolu will now go on to play a key role in shaping the party's election campaign in Madhya Pradesh, where elections will be held by the end of this year.
His strengths
A networking guy to the core is what his closest aides call him. It is said that Kanugolu's biggest strength is his ability to form personal relationships with the party's prominent leaders. His calm but firm personality is what connects people with him instantly but what strengthens that impression is the data he always has handy, which comes in from extensive research and field experience.
His claim to fame in Karnataka
As per the Congress leaders, Kanugolu prepared a strategy for each Assembly seat in the southern state. His plan was to corner the BJP and JD(S) to prevent a triangular Karnataka election, which was successful for the party. He and his team consistently provided all the candidates with factual backing in order to refute the accusations made by the opposing parties.
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