THE BRAINS BEHIND THE SCENES

A new breed of strategists, consultants and researchers is driving the narrative ahead of the upcoming assembly polls

- RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

A FEW POPULAR HINDI crime-drama series on streaming platforms are rooted in college and university life in Uttar Pradesh. The antagonist or the protagonist is usually exposed to the world of politics in their campuses, which marks the turning point in their lives. Preetham Gampa, too, was introduced to politics at his campus—IIT Kanpur—and has ended up working for politicians. Though he studied chemistry, he decided to become a poll strategist. Looking back, the 28-year-old said: “My future would have been different had I graduated from any other IIT.”

Ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, IIT Kanpur saw a flurry of political activity—awareness sessions, discussions and party-sponsored meetings. A startup Preetham and friends had launched on campus around the same time took on a political hue as his seniors sub-contracted promotional work for a national party to him. Soon, Preetham appeared for the campus interview of Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC and cracked it. At the renowned political consultancy firm, he gained invaluable experience.

Preetham, who hails from Telangana, was involved in two of the biggest padyatras in recent years in the Telugu states. In 2018, on behalf of I-PAC, he was on the ground coordinating with local leaders of the YSR Congress Party during then opposition leader and current Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s padyatra in Andhra Pradesh. Between 2021 and 2023, as an independent consultant and strategist, he was in-charge of the route map and other logistics for YSR Telangana Party founder Y.S. Sharmila’s padyatra in Telangana.