Sunil Kanugolu, man behind Congress' Karnataka win, also roped in for upcoming Madhya Pradesh polls

Congress registered a historic win for the Karnataka Assembly Polls, results to which were declared on 13 May, 2023. The Congress has won 136 seats in Karnataka, defeating the BJP who made their mark in only 65 seats, according to Election Commission of India's website.

However, Congress, might have to credit this strategist who orchestrated the entire planning, working and execution to the last detail after indulging in a maverick observation game. 

Sunil Kanugolu, the brains behind Congress' win in Karnataka, had been hired by the Grand Old Party in 2022. Kanugolu is now slated to set up shop in Madhya Pradesh to work for Congress for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections. 

Notably, Kanugolu had earlier worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the BJP's campaign. Later he started strategising campaigns for the Congress.

He even contributed to Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra. 

A Congress leader told news agency PTI,  Kanugolu will play a key role in shaping the party's campaign and MP. He had worked for the BJP in UP and is said to have played a key role in the resounding victory of Yogi Adityanath in 2017, party leaders said.

Kanugolu had previously worked with DMK and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu too.

Sunil Kanugolu for Karnataka Congress win

Reports have suggested that Kanugolu devised strategies to oppose the BJP propaganda during campaigns ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Elections. He took ‘corruption’ as the key poll plank against the ruling party.

The 41-year-old low-profile strategist and Congress member who crafted the campaign and did not let the party lose sight of it until the end.

According to a report by NDTV, people close to Kanugolu has attributed his success to his ability to form personal relationships with prominent leaders. 

The report also stated that Kanugolu came up with the ‘PayCM’ campaign against the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government. 

Kanugolu's team relied on field survey and modern day analytics to achieve the historic win for Congress in Karnataka.