By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
New Delhi/Dehradun: Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal has emerged as one of the party’s most visible faces, spearheading attacks on the BJP while simultaneously tightening the party’s organisational grip ahead of crucial electoral battles in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa early next year.
There is already a buzz that Venugopal may replace Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
In recent weeks, Venugopal has aggressively targeted the BJP over a range of issues, including the controversy surrounding alleged irregularities in donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the handling of Operation Sindoor. As one of the Congress high command’s key strategists, he has repeatedly accused the ruling party of diverting attention from issues of governance and accountability, while urging the government to respond transparently to questions raised by the opposition.
His political activism now extends to Uttarakhand, where he is scheduled to visit the state on July 9-10 to review the Congress organisation and assess preparations for the Assembly elections expected early next year. During his visit, Venugopal is expected to hold meetings with senior state leaders, legislators and district-level functionaries to evaluate the party’s readiness and evolve a strategy to take on the ruling BJP.
In poll-bound Goa on Saturday (Jul 4), Venugopal held a series of one-on-one meetings with senior Congress leaders to discuss the overall political situation and assess the organisational preparedness for the upcoming assembly elections. “We are confident that we will mount a formidable campaign against the BJP in the coming months, and our organisation will work in a united and determined fashion to ensure a thumping victory in 2027,” he said on the social media.
He is also expected to travel to two other poll-bound states — Uttar Pradesh and Punjab shortly.
The Congress has been attempting to revive its fortunes in Uttarakhand after suffering defeat in the 2022 Assembly elections. With anti-incumbency, unemployment, migration, inflation and alleged irregularities in temple administration emerging as key issues, the party hopes to sharpen its campaign well before the election schedule is announced.
As the party’s organisation in-charge, Venugopal has played a big role in coordinating election strategies across states and implementing decisions of the Congress leadership. Known for his close association with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and , he has become one of the principal architects of the party’s organisational and political campaigns.
In Kerala, Venugopal has long been regarded as one of the Congress’s most influential leaders. Political circles had speculated that he was among the senior leaders whose names figured in discussions over the party’s chief ministerial face if the Congress-led United Democratic Front had returned to power in the 2021 Assembly elections. However, the Left Democratic Front retained power, and the speculation never translated into a leadership contest.
With several states heading to the polls over the next year, Venugopal’s increasing visibility underlines the Congress leadership’s effort to strengthen both its political messaging and organisational structure as it seeks to mount a stronger challenge to the BJP across the country.
Caption: K C Venugopal holding a meeting in Goa on Saturday