The AIADMK is gearing up for the elections and has already begun making moves. Reportedly, the party has already roped in strategist Sunil Kanugolu for the policy as well as poll consultation. Some recent changes in the chief minister's working strategy are being attributed to Sunil Kanugolu.

Sunil Kanugolu, seems to have quite the impressive resume as well as campaign experience. Kanugolu, a former consultant with McKinsey, has earlier been a key member of the 2014 Narendra Modi election campaign, along with Prashant Kishor. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami pays tribute at the memorial of late AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa at Chennai after taking oath on Feb 16, 2017IANS

Sunil also ran the DMK's state assembly election campaign in 2016, which was after the 2014 general elections. Though the DMK lost the election, it was by an extremely slim margin. It was a margin of one per cent. 

Sunil has also been given credit for revitalising MK Stalin's image and was the brain behind "Namakku Naame" - We for ourselves campaign. Sunil Kanugolu has been instrumental in several campaigns by the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka. 

All of these campaigns saw BJP come out victorious in one way or another. Sunil resigned from the DMK in November 2019. And it was an opportunity that the AIADMK seemed to be waiting for as it finally succeeded in convincing Sunil Kanugolu to assist them in the upcoming state elections in 2021. Presently, he is advising Chief Minister EK Palaniswami on policy-related issues.