Newsmaker: Sunil Kanugolu, the elusive poll strategist now on Congress’s side

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“He knows his limits, he never tries to patronise or overpower his clients. Neither does he take credit nor does he flaunt his connections,” said a source who has known Kanugolu for five years.

A senior Congress leader told The Indian Express, “Even the photograph circulating on social media as that of his is of his brother. So, you can understand his style of functioning. He prefers to remain in the background. My impression is that he does not impose his views and ideas on the party. Every party has its strengths and weaknesses. Every party is different in the way it functions. He understands that and tries to work with the party.”

After striking out on his own, Kanugolu returned to the political mainstream by designing DMK chief and current Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s “Namakku Naame” campaign ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections.

Though the campaign was successful and elevated Stalin’s public image, the DMK failed in the elections as a third front split the votes and helped the AIADMK retain power despite a strong anti-incumbency factor.

“The DMK lost but Stalin emerged as a leader. Remember that time both J Jayalalithaa and K Karunanidhi were alive,” said a Congress leader.

Someone who worked with the political consultant during his time with the DMK pointed out another difference between him and Kishor. “Unlike Kishor, Sunil builds a team drawn from the party and that remains intact even after polls.”

Following the stint down south, Kanugolu worked closely with Amit Shah in Delhi till February 2018. He shaped successful campaigns for the BJP, including in the state elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Karnataka, with the help of a team of 300 people.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the political operative returned to the DMK camp and helped the United Progressive Alliance win 38 of the state’s 39 parliamentary constituencies.

But he parted ways with the DMK before last year’s Assembly elections after Stalin sought Kishor’s help. “We suggested that he work with Kishor but it was not acceptable to Sunil,” said a senior DMK leader. “Later, we realised that Kishor also wouldn’t have agreed to work with Sunil.”

The election strategist switched sides and advised the AIADMK but could not stop it from getting ousted from power. A person who knows Kanugolu said he was still in touch with former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. “But I assume that his relationship with DMK is not great, may not even be in talking terms,” the source added.

Last year, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi met Kanugolu around the same time they reportedly held talks with Kishor. In the end, the Congress gave Kanugolu’s Hyderabad-based company Mindshare Analytics the contract for the Karnataka campaign. According to sources, he could also be given the contract for Telangana.

“In a big party like the Congress, there are various pulls and pressures. The dynamics are different. When an outsider, howsoever brilliant he is, tries to impose his views, it leads to friction. That is what happened with Kishor when he worked with us in Uttar Pradesh,” said a leader of the Opposition party.

Another Congress functionary said Kanugolu would be an advantage as he is from south India and speaks multiple regional languages. “Importantly, he understands the politics and instinct of south India better.”

Now, Mindshare Analytics is preparing to open an office in Bengaluru. “Not less than 150 employees are there and more recruitments are happening,” said a source.

Most of the strategist’s employees are specialists in fields such as public policy and law, civil service aspirants, and graduates from top universities such as IITs and IIMs who work for the company’s departments such as research, campaign, social media, statistics, analytics, and surveys.

— With inputs from ENS Delhi