A chance to stand out and rise, or stumble
The political career of K C Venugopal, 54, a second-term Lok Sabha member (from Alappuzha in Kerala), has risen since he started in student politics at Payyannur College in the late 1980s.
His latest responsibility, as the All India Congress Committee’s general secretary in charge of Karnataka, comes as the party is trying to retain its rule in the southern state, which will have legislative Assembly polls in April next year.
Venugopal’s background as state head of the National Students Union of India and the Indian Youth Congress gave him the edge — Rahul Gandhi, the vice-president, wanted a younger person to oversee affairs in Karnataka.
He was first elected in 1996 to the Kerala Assembly, retaining his position for two more terms, till 2009 (when he entered the Lok Sabha). He became a state minister in 2004-06. A postgraduate in mathematics, Venugopal owes his rise to veteran K Karunakaran, to whom he remained loyal.
Gandhi had noticed Venugopal when the Congress-led coalition was in power at the Centre. And, had him inducted into Manmohan Singh’s ministry as a junior, in 2011 and 2012 to work in the ministries of power and aviation. Party leaders recall an eye for detail when he as minister of state for aviation, he embarrassed Air India by discerning a ticket scam of sorts on board a Delhi-Kochi flight which led to a probe and resulted in suspension of two officials.
Since 2014, when the Congress has sat in the opposition benches, Venugopal has been an active member of Rahul’s ‘shouting brigade’, which keeps the party’s flag flying in the Lok Sabha despite reduced numerical strength. Named the party’s deputy whip in the House, he is considered a good speaker. He is also an avid reader and a sports player, while taking interest in environmental issues.
Venugopal was said to be keeping track, even earlier, of Karnataka politics. He is a regular visitor to the Mookambika temple in Kollur, Dakshina Kannada district.
According to him, the immediate challenge is to strengthen the Karnataka unit, keep the leaders united and prepare the organisation for the polls next year. Over past months, the state unit lost two veterans, S M Krishna and V Srinivasa Prasad, to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Those close to him say Venugopal has had a middle class upbringing, allowing him to blend with party workers.
His appointment comes at a time when the party has suffered a series of electoral reverses in states, since the rout in the 2014 national election. Karnataka is the only big state the Congress now rules and it can hardly afford to let the BJP regain control here.