Bengaluru: While the clamour for cabinet berths continues to get louder in Karnataka, the D.K. Shivakumar government has secured cabinet rank for the Congress’ poll consultant, Sunil Kanugolu.
Kanugolu, an elusive and media-shy personality who largely operates behind the scenes for the Congress, has been reappointed “chief adviser” to the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He is among the handful of people allowed to continue their role despite the change of guard in the southern state.
“Kanugolu has been involved in conducting surveys for elections, gauging government perceptions and even garnering feedback on various programmes,” a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) told ThePrint.
The person added that Kanugolu’s earlier role, as chief adviser to former CM Siddaramaiah, was limited to premising his reports with certain inputs, and that he was not involved in any kind of political strategy, planning or policymaking.
Though Kanugolu is a primary member of the AICC, he is largely identified as a poll strategist, moving from state to state, gathering intelligence and ground-level information that the party can use to gauge government perception, formulate campaigns and lay the groundwork during elections.
The Congress has, however, retained key decision-making processes within itself and is hesitant to outsource such operations, party sources told ThePrint.
“Unlike other parties or leaders like Uddhav Thackeray, Jagan Mohan Reddy and the TMC (Trinamool Congress), we as an organisation do not give full control to outside agencies. Our ideology and working style are very different,” the person cited above said.
Kanugolu is the former head of Association of Brilliant Minds (ABM)—the BJP’s personalised campaign organisation—and now chief of Hyderabad-based Mindshare Analytics.
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Adviser to CMs
In 2023, Kanugolu was among the few non-elected representatives to get the coveted “cabinet rank” in Karnataka that comes with special privileges, including protocol preferences, a government-allotted bungalow, higher allowances and other perks.
Kanugolu was credited with crafting the ‘40 percent commission government’ campaign that became the Congress’ poll platform leading up to the 2023 assembly elections.
Soon after, he was deployed in Telangana where his team is said to have played a pivotal role in helping the Congress come to power in 2023.
Though Kanugolu enjoyed unrestricted access, he was not given a cabinet rank in Telangana. He also shares a good rapport with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, according to Congress leaders.
In Karnataka so far, Kanugolu’s role has been limited. People aware of his working style said he interacted with Siddaramaiah on just a handful of occasions during the latter’s term as CM.
“He has met Siddaramaiah, but not because the CM needed advice. He has shared information or feedback on the impact of guarantees and other government programmes. There are times we reach out to get information from voters before crucial elections,” said one person who was formerly in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Siddaramaiah’s government had given more than 100 cabinet ranks to persons other than ministers, including two political secretaries, financial, media and legal advisors, the chairman of the guarantee implementation schemes and even heads of boards and corporations.
When Siddaramaiah stepped down, the cabinet ranks were dissolved.
People aware of the developments said Kanugolu was quick to reach out to Revanth Reddy for a similar position in Telangana. However, no official order to this effect was issued.
“The advisory post is not given to provide advice. Since he is not an MLA or MLC, he cannot be made a minister, so he opts to get these cabinet ranks that come with certain privileges,” another person who has previously worked with Kanugolu told ThePrint.
His role as “chief adviser” to Shivakumar is unlikely to be any different, party sources said.
Kanugolu is considered a close aide of AICC General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal, acting as a bridge between the latter and the state in-charges, people aware of the developments said.
Kanugolu’s operations
Kanugolu has a core team of trusted lieutenants whom he relies on for information and insight. Between 2021 and 2023, he and his team were simultaneously operating in more than six-seven states, the person who has worked with him earlier said.
In Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot had refused to provide Kanugolu’s team with resources or information largely due to the former CM’s strained relationship with the Congress high command. In Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana, among others, Kanugolu was given a free hand, the person added.
In Rajasthan, Kanugolu is said to have met Gehlot just a couple of times, while his presence in Bihar was limited to interacting with his own team. “Even if he was not in Bihar during the elections, he was there in every Bihar-related meeting held in Delhi,” said the person.
According to people who have previously worked with him, his “core team” comprises 7-10 people. It was a much bigger team earlier. “This core team is a set of people on whom Kanugolu relies on entirely,” said the person quoted above.
Kanugolu has an office in Bengaluru and one in Hyderabad with about 30-40 people in each state. Some of his colleagues shuttle between various states.
The person who has worked with Kanugolu said that though he has a large operation in multiple states, he largely keeps to himself and rarely meets leaders unless directed to do so by the AICC—Venugopal in particular.
“Only if Venugopal asks him to meet someone does he make the meeting. Otherwise, he opts out of such meetings,” the person said.
Kanugolu physically attends meetings only with top leaders. “Only when there are key decision-making meetings like alliance or ticket distribution does Kanugolu come in person. Otherwise, his core team handles coordination,” the person said.
He, however, conducts at least 5-6 meetings lasting over 7-8 hours before a ticket distribution exercise.
“He discusses every seat in detail, asks questions and plays the devil’s advocate, questioning every reason ascribed to all potential candidates in every constituency. Only then does he attend meetings with party leaders,” the person said.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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