Produced by: Prashanti Moktan
Congress registered a historic victory in Telangana that marked the end of the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS)-led government in the state since its establishment in 2014
K Chandrashekar Rao stepped down as the Telangana Chief minister after his party was defeated by the Congress in the Assembly Elections. KCR, who was hoping for a hattrick, has served as Telangana CM for two terms since the formation of India’s youngest state in 2014
Poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu was the key person behind the campaign, which led Congress to register a majority win in Telangana Elections 2023
Interestingly, Sunil Kanugolu was reportedly approached by K Chandrashekar Rao in 2021 to join his party’s poll strategy team for the polls. Kanugolu, who turned down KCR’s offer, took up a similar role in Congress later
As per inside sources, Sunil Kanugolu was given considerable autonomy by the Congress in Telangana. In contrast, veteran Congress leaders such as Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were reportedly not completely on board with his internal survey results
Sunil Kanugolu was appointed the chairman of the election strategy committee of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), starting with the Karnataka Assembly Elections. Congress registered a landslide victory in the state earlier this year in May and the Kanugolu effect has now led to Congress adding another win with Telangana
Sunil Kanugolu has been part of poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s team in the past when the top poll strategist helped BJP win in various polls. This included Narednra Modi’s pivotal win in the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, which led him to become the nation’s Prime Minister
Sunil Kanugolu is reportedly a direct advisor of Rahul Gandhi. The poll strategist was also instrumental in planning the Bharat Jodo Yatra, as part of which the Congress leader travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Earlier, Sonia Gandhi picked Sunil Kanugolu as a member of Congress’ 2024 Lok Sabha election task force
Sunil Kanugolu, who has also worked with DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu prior to his role in the Congress, has maintained distance from the media and avoids the public eye. The poll strategist, who is in his early 40s, hails from Karnataka originally but was also in Chennai and in the US, where he pursued his higher education. Before his role as poll strategist, he has worked as a consultant for McKinsey