After Prashant Kishore's exit, Congress this time removed Sunil Kanugolu, the poll strategist behind Congress' victory in Karnataka and Telangana from the upcoming Lok Sabha election campaign. As per media reports, instead of focusing on the parliament election campaign, Kanugolu has been assigned to work on the party's Haryana and Maharashtra campaigns.
Including Prashant Kishor's exit two years ago, Sunil Kanugolu reportedly is the second high-profile poll strategist who will not be a part of Congress' general election prep.
Reason behind Congress' decision
As per media reports, the reason behind Kanugolu's redeployment has been attributed to the fact he already has established teams in Haryana and Maharashtra, the two states preparing for assembly polls this year. From this decision, it is quite evident that Congress is keen to record big electoral victories over the ruling BJP.
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As per a report by NDTV, a senior leader, holding the rank of General Secretary, acknowledged his absence on the Lok Sabha campaign is a "slight setback". However, he also added that Congress believes there is greater long-term benefit if he can use his 'Midas touch', to win key states from the BJP.
Mr Kanugolu, sources added, will also continue to work with the Congress' governments in Karnataka, where he his now Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's primary advisor, with a cabinet rank, and Telangana, where he ousted ex-Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and the BRS that has ruled since 2014.
