New Delhi: Sunil Kanugolu is often compared to Prashant Kishor, a man he has worked with in the past. There are many things common between the two — both dabble in election strategy, both have worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both have since crossed over to the other side.
The one thing that is distinctly different between the two is Kanugolu’s obsession with keeping a low profile.
In fact, what makes Kanugolu stand out, say Congress sources, is his ability to not stand out in a crowd and his clear intent to keep it that way.
As one senior Congress leader put it: “He is as elusive as Bagheera (the black panther from Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli stories), and leaves no trail.”
“He comes and goes, and of the 100 people in the portico (at 24, Akbar Road, the Congress headquarters), not one takes a second look at him, so ordinary does he appear,” the leader added.
He is also not the chatty kind, say others, exchanging no more than bare pleasantries with people beyond the top leadership of the party.
Kanugolu, who is originally from Karnataka’s Ballari district, joined the Congress earlier this year.
He was subsequently picked by the party to spearhead its election strategy in his home state, which goes to polls next year.
In the Congress, Kanugolu interacts with only a handful of senior leaders, including party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala who is also the in-charge for Karnataka.
Kanugolu’s job has been described by one Congress source as something that comprises “ground listening and surveys”.
He is currently working for the party in Telangana as well.
On Tuesday, the Telangana Police conducted raids at Kanugolu’s office in Hyderabad. The Congress leadership has alleged that this was an attempt by the state’s K Chandrashekar Rao government to “suppress dissent”.
The raids were held over alleged derogatory posts against the Telangana chief minister and the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi.
Venugopal tweeted: “The action of Cyberabad police in seizing the office of #SunilKanugolu is a blatant attempt to suppress dissent. It is aimed at defunctioning @INCTelangana war room which is at full swing. Come what may, we will continue our crusade against corruption by Telangana CM & his family.”
Also read: ‘Won’t be a home guard’: Telangana Congress leader quits, slams high command in letter to Sonia
One-time Modi aide
Kanugolu is former head of the Association of Brilliant Minds (ABM) — the BJP’s personalised campaign organisation — and now chief of political consulting firm Mindshare Analytics.
According to information submitted to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, as a director, Kanugolu has been associated with three companies — SR Independent Fisheries Private Limited, SR Naturo Foods Private Limited, and Brainstorm Innovation and Research Private Limited.
“Sunil Kanugolu was previously associated with two companies, SR Marine Foods Private Limited and Citizens For Accountable Governance Private Limited,” says a listing on thecompanycheck.
Citizens for Accountable Governance was conceptualised by Prashant Kishor and was in charge of the BJP’s campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
Kanugolu entered the field of election analysis and strategy when he met then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi with a presentation using data analytics on how to reach out to more voters.
A former McKinsey consultant, Kanugolu soon became consultant to the man who would go on to become prime minister. It was during that time that he also worked with Kishor and his Citizens for Accountable Governance.
Kanugolu’s association with the BJP continued for several years and his electoral successes include the party’s ascension to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.
However, soon afterwards, he began to gravitate towards the Congress and finally joined it in March this year, thanks to — say some leaders — the party’s reluctance to engage an external strategist who was not a member of the Congress.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also read: Young, reclusive, ‘brilliant’ — meet Sunil Kanugolu, the ‘other Prashant Kishor’ of Congress