Congress poll strategist Sunil Kanugolu appointed Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar's chief advisor

BENGALURU: Considered one of the key architects of the Congress' victories in Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, political strategist Sunil Kanugolu has been appointed chief advisor to Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar.The appointment comes after the Congress' success in the recently-concluded Kerala assembly elections, where the UDF returned to power. Kanugolu is widely credited with crafting the party's campaign strategy and messaging in the state.The Karnataka-born strategist, who is in his early 40s, first gained prominence for his role in the Congress' 2023 Karnataka assembly election victory.He is regarded as the architect of the party's aggressive anti-corruption campaign against the BJP government, including the widely discussed 'PayCM' campaign that targeted then chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.Kanugolu also played a key role in the Congress' successful campaign in Telangana, where the party highlighted alleged corruption under the K Chandrashekar Rao-led BRS government.Beyond election campaigns, he is credited with helping strategise Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, an initiative that many Congress leaders believe helped revive the party's grassroots connect.Interestingly, Kanugolu has worked with the BJP in the past.He was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign and later contributed to the BJP's electoral strategies in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.In the 2018 Karnataka assembly elections, he worked with the BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats.Kanugolu formally joined the Congress in 2024 and has since become one of the party's most influential backroom strategists.(With agency inputs)