Fifty-four-year-old K.C. Venugopal is the new AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka affairs and may be from neighbouring Kerala but he is no stranger to the state and is a regular visitor to the Mookambika temple in Kollur in Dakshina Kannada district. His mission: Make sure the Congress is fighting fit to take on the BJP and sweep back to power in the 2018 Assembly polls.

The Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha in Kerala plans to have a string of meetings with CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar during his visit to the state shortly. He spoke to DC on his priorities and how he plans to ensure a Congress victory in 2018.

What are your priorities for Karnataka after you were made the new Congress in-charge of Karnataka replacing veteran leader Digvijay Singh?
To start with, I am holding a meeting with the five newly-appointed joint secretaries in Delhi in the next two or three days to get acquainted with my new post. I will then visit Karnataka to meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar and other senior leaders. I long to meet Karnataka leaders and work with them.

How familiar are you with Karnataka politics since you are a three-time MLA and two term MP from Kerala?
Though, I was born, brought up and studied in Kerala, I have been keeping track of Karnataka politics. We share the border with Karnataka and I am closely following political happenings in the state.

Is it not a daunting task for you to ensure a victory for the Congress in Karnataka because of anti-incumbency the ruling party is likely to face?
I have no idea if there is anti-incumbency in Karnataka. I don't think so as our government headed by CM Siddaramaiah has been doing well in the last four years by launching several welfare schemes. If there was anti-incumbency, the Congress would not have won the byelections in Nanjangud and Gundlupet.

What are your challenges in Karnataka?
My immediate challenge is to strengthen our party. Every election is a challenge for us. We will work together and move forward. Our focus will be to make the Congress strong and tell people about the developmental works of the Siddaramaiah government.

There has been an exodus of Congress leaders to other parties. Recently, former Union minister S.M. Krishna and former minister V Srinivasprasad quit the Congress to join BJP. How can you check this trend?
I don't know much about it. But I will certainly talk to the CM and PCC president and work out measures to check this trend. I am coming to Bengaluru soon to take charge and also to meet all senior leaders.

Can you tell us something about your background?
I come from a poor family and studied in government schools and colleges. I was involved in student union activities since class eight and got elected as president of the college union five times. I have worked as Kerala Pradesh Youth Congress Committee president from 1992-2000 and president of Kerala Students’ Union from 1987 to 1992. I was elected MLA from Alappuzha constituency three consecutive times from 1996 and functioned as Kerala minister for tourism and devaswom from 2004-2006. I have been representing Alappuzha parliamentary constituency since 2009. I belong to Kannur which is near Mangaluru. And I am a regular visitor to the famed Mookambika Temple in Kollur.