From Policy to Candidates, PR Team Led by Kanugolu Decides Everything in KPCC

Thiruvananthapuram: From KPCC policies and activities to candidate selection and even decisions on who should be members of various committees, everything is being decided by a PR teams. The KPCC is said to be under the control of Sunil Kanugolu, who even has the authority to attend meetings of the Political Affairs Committee. Kanugolu himself is reportedly under the influence of AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal. Leaders with decades of political experience have been sidelined to make way for Kanugolu.

A report prepared by Kanugolu was presented at the state leadership camp held in Bathery. The election strategy that emerged reportedly reflected the interests of K C Venugopal. The party is accused of being handed over to a PR team, ignoring the opinions of senior leaders with decades of experience.

Under normal circumstances, the functioning and election strategies of political parties are shaped by committees comprising party leaders. However, in recent times, it is alleged that in the Congress, event management and PR teams have been deciding everything. While political work is not meant to be about winning prizes, Kanugolu’s suggestion of offering rewards to those who secure votes is seen as mocking party workers and voters. A senior leader reacted by saying it was like “offering prizes for higher sales figures.”

Kanugolu has been serving as an advisor to the KPCC since 2023. Prior to that, he was associated with the BJP as an advisor for a long period. In 2013, he entered active political consulting as part of Prashant Kishor’s ‘Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG)’ team, whose objective was to project Narendra Modi as a strong leader. The team also led character assassination campaigns against opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The same Kanugolu is now said to be controlling the Congress in Kerala.