Sunil Kanugolu appointed chief advisor to Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Political strategist Sunil Kanugolu, who played a key role in shaping Congress’ election strategy ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls, has been appointed as the Chief Advisor to Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar.

According to the government order issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Kanugolu will serve in the post for the next two years and will be accorded cabinet-rank status. In this role, he is expected to provide strategic and policy-related inputs to the state government.

Kanugolu, originally from Karnataka but raised in Chennai, has had a long career in political consultancy and election management. He is an alumnus of higher studies in the United States and began his career in electoral strategy, working with multiple national-level campaigns.

He was part of teams that worked on several major elections, including the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, where he contributed to BJP’s campaign strategies. He has also worked in Tamil Nadu political campaigns, including for AIADMK, and was earlier associated with strategist Prashant Kishor’s team.

His association with Congress strengthened in recent years, especially during the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi, where he was part of the core strategic team. He later played a significant behind-the-scenes role in the Congress’ 2023 Karnataka Assembly election campaign, particularly in designing outreach strategies and public messaging.

Sources said Kanugolu was instrumental in framing campaign narratives and conducting internal surveys that helped the Congress shape its election promises, including the implementation of the party’s guarantee schemes, which became a major factor in its electoral victory.

He had earlier served as an advisor in the Siddaramaiah-led government as well, also holding cabinet-rank status at the time. With his latest appointment under the Shivakumar-led setup, the government has continued the practice of relying on professional political strategists for governance and policy advisory roles.

Officials said the appointment reflects the leadership’s intention to strengthen data-driven governance and strategic planning in the coming years.