Bengaluru: Many would have heard of poll strategist Prashant Kishor, but few know of Sunil Kanugolu, the man who has been picked by the Congress to strategise for the party in Karnataka ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.
Kanugolu is the former head of the Association of Brilliant Minds (ABM) — the BJP’s personalised campaign organisation — and now chief of Mindshare Analytics.
For anyone in the Karnataka Congress attempting to tag him as an “outsider”, he has a ready answer — he was born in the state’s Ballari district and studied there till middle school.
Kanugolu is not even 40 years old but has strategised for over a dozen elections for national and regional parties so far. In a career spanning nearly a decade, he has worked with more than a dozen chief ministers.
From the BJP to the DMK and now the Congress in Karnataka, Kanugolu is a sought-after election campaigner much like Kishor.
While Kanugolu and Kishor’s paths have crossed many times, what is distinct is their public persona. While Kishor’s life and work is out there for everyone to see, and he doesn’t shy away from the public glare, Kanugolu it seems likes to keep to himself.
With no official social media presence, no interaction with mediapersons, and no promotion of his work, Kanugolu has perfected his image as an elusive big-gun poll strategist tucked away from the limelight.
His aversion to public recognition is so intense that no photos of him are available on internet searches. A photo of his brother Sushil is passed off as that of Kanugolu by many.
“The choice to stay away from the public glare perhaps boils down to two reasons. One, he comes from McKinsey — a firm that discourages employees from publicly sharing their views and opinions when it comes to firm and clients or politics,” a former colleague of Kanugolu told ThePrint, pointing out that “Kishor’s style of claiming credit has left his clients disgruntled”.
“Secondly, as backroom strategists, our job is to let the client take credit and stand in the limelight and not put ourselves centrestage.”
Another source said the anonymity has given Kanugolu freedom to conduct surveys freely without interruption.
“Even if he walks into a room with aspiring candidates while conducting surveys for their selection, barely anyone can recognise him. That means less interference and attempt to influence results,” the source said.
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From Modi’s pollster to Congress’ strategist
A former consultant with McKinsey, Kanugolu’s first brush with election consultancy and strategy came directly with Narendra Modi — much before he became the Prime Minister — those in the know told ThePrint.
“He approached Modi with a presentation on using data analytics to enhance outreach and was retained as a pollster,” the second source said.
According to those who have worked with him, Kanugolu started as a personal pollster for Modi much before Prashant Kishor’s erstwhile Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG) officially took charge of the BJP’s campaign for the 2014 Lok Sabha election. During the campaign, Kanugolu and Kishor worked together.
After the 2014 election, Kishor converted the CAG into the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), banding together many strategists who worked on the BJP’s campaign, and shifted to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
In October 2016, ahead of the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Kanugolu was tasked by the BJP to form an election consultancy firm that would rival Kishor’s. Kanugolu then headed the ABM, which was set up by him, fellow poll strategist Himanshu Singh, and Gujarati businessman Deepak Patel.
Despite Kanugolu’s exit in 2018, the ABM has continued to strategise for the BJP election after election.
Those who have worked with Kanugolu attest to the fact that while Kishor had a fallout with the BJP, especially Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Kanugolu had a smooth working relationship with the party. It is this factor that led the BJP to entrust him with leading the ABM.
Of the 14 elections Kanugolu has been engaged for, nine have been for the BJP, two for the DMK and others for the Akali Dal, the AIADMK and now the Congress.
‘If it is going to help us, then why not?’
Born in Karnataka, Kanugolu has lived in Chennai, and relocated to Bengaluru a couple of years ago.
According to information available with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Kanugolu has held the post of director in three companies — SR Independent Fisheries Private Limited, SR Naturo Foods Private Limited and Brainstorm Innovation and Research Private Limited (BSIR) — all of which have ceased to exist.
A blurb on the now-defunct website of BSIR acknowledges Kanugolu as having served as CEO of two start-ups. It also adds that he is an engineering graduate from Anna University in Chennai, and holds a Master’s degree in Finance and a Master’s degree in Management of Technology from New York University.
Even as he strategises for the Karnataka Congress, Kanugolu is said to have his eyes set on the Telangana assembly polls for the party as well.
“The 2017 Uttar Pradesh election was the most successful poll campaign for Kanugolu, with the BJP registering a thumping victory. Other elections he strategised for may not have ended in victory for his client, but their performance was impacted,” said the former colleague of Kanugolu quoted above.
“Take, for example, his 2016 poll campaign for the DMK (in Tamil Nadu). Although the party lost the election, the number of seats it won went up by 66.”
Regarding his history with the BJP, a former minister and Congress MLA from Karnataka told ThePrint that there “were definitely concerns from senior leaders of the party”, but added that “his role is clearly defined”.
“He is to provide the party with insights dissected from the data his team collects, and projections and suggestions on how to use the data. None within the party can claim to have the academic expertise to do what he is bringing to the table. If it is going to help us, then why not?” the leader added.
Those close to Kanugolu, however, insist that he has been in talks with the central leadership of the Congress since 2018 and has been brought on board with complete trust.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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