Kanugolu may lead LS poll management
NEW DELHI: Sunil Kanugolu, a reclusive and media-shy poll strategist who joined the Congress in early April was on Tuesday was named a member of Task Force 2024 which the party constituted to implement the Nav Sankalp (New Resolution) declaration adopted in Udaipur recently.
A highly sought-after pollster, Kanugolu founded the Association of Brilliant Minds (ABM), the BJP’s campaign body for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections. He was part of ace poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s team when the latter was shaping Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll campaign in 2014.
According to a senior party leader who asked not to be named, Kanugolu is likely to spearhead the Congress’s election management in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. HT first reported Kanugolu’s move to join the Congress in March. Back then, it was believed that he would be in charge of the party’s election strategy for Karnataka — but the Congress and Kishor were at that time in the midst of their long flirtation which ended on April 26 when Kishor declined the Congress’s offer to join the party.
Besides Kanugolu, the eightmember Task Force 2024 comprises P Chidambaram, Mukul Wasnik, Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal, Ajay Maken, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Each member of the task force shall be assigned specific tasks related to organisation, communication and media, outreach, finance and election management, the party said in a statement.
While Mukul Wasnik and K C Venugopal have been asked to monitor organisational issues, P Chidambaram may be asked to look at ways to improve the party’s financial situation, a party leader said on condition of anonymity.