The political journey of Janasena president Pawan Kalyan has once again become a hot topic. Pawan Kalyan made a sensational announcement about his party’s political alliances during a public meeting held in Pedana, Krishna district, as part of the fourth phase of Varahi Yatra on 4th october. He stated that “due to the weakened situation of the TDP in the state, he decided to leave the NDA and support them“. Furthermore, he expressed his desire for the blessings of the NDA for the TDP-JSP alliance. Pawan Kalyan also mentioned that his party is ready to join any party that is willing to collaborate with them in order to face the YCP.
చాలా బలహీనంగా ఉన్న తెదేపా కోసం ఎన్డీయే కూటమి నుండి బైటకు వచ్చి మరి చంద్రబాబు గారికి మద్దతు ఇచ్చాను – జనసేనానీ#VarahiVijayaYatra #UANow pic.twitter.com/ZkuR6Tx5G9
— ఉత్తరాంధ్ర నౌ! (@UttarandhraNow) October 4, 2023
Pawan Kalyan believes that by combining the experience of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the fighting skills of the Jana Sena, they can defeat YS Jagan. This implies that Pawan Kalyan thinks the BJP is not very effective in the fight against YSRCP. He believes that the Janasena would be better off aligning with the TDP rather than the BJP. In the 2019 assembly elections, the TDP received around 40 percent of the votes, Jana Sena received 5.60 percent, and BJP received 0.85 percent in 2019 elections. All three parties ran independently in that election. Pawan hopes that the TDP, Janasena, and BJP will join forces to prevent the anti-YSRCP vote from being divided in the next election. Pawan Kalyan announced his strategy for the upcoming elections a year ago. The first option is for the BJP and Jana Sena to align, the second option is for the TDP, Jana Sena, and BJP to align, and the third option is for the Jana Sena to run alone.
In 2014, BJP and TDP contested together, while Jana Sena stayed away from the contest and supported them. However, in 2018, the TDP withdrew from the NDA citing failure in fulfilling the promises related to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act. Consequently, Jana Sena distanced themselves from both parties, leading to the dissolution of the three-party alliance. Subsequently, in 2020, a BJP-Jana Sena alliance was formed, though it was merely symbolic as no joint activities were undertaken by the two parties. Pawan Kalyan openly expressed his discontent with the BJP’s lack of providing him with a roadmap, making it challenging to continue the alliance. However, he did not officially announce a breakup with the BJP. In a recent public meeting in Pedana, he clearly stated his decision to leave the NDA and move forward with the TDP, while also seeking the BJP’s support for the BJP-JanaSena alliance.
It must be said that Pawan Kalyan’s statement is a bit confusing. It seems that he is still adopting a wait-and-see approach regarding his request for BJP’s support for an alliance with TDP, despite him already declaring support for NDA. It is clear that he wishes for TDP and himself to join forces, and it would be advantageous if BJP also joins them.
In fact, Pawan made efforts to bring the TDP into an alliance with the BJP and Janasena. However, the TDP strongly criticised the BJP after leaving the NDA. Chandrababu has publicly stated several times that opposition to BJP rule is growing in the country. He even held a protest against the Modi government in the name of Dharma Poratam in Delhi in 2019, and for this, Rahul Gandhi also expressed his support. Chandrababu has been working hard to rejoin the NDA due to changing politics. However, the BJP is keeping him at a distance and ignoring Pawan Kalyan’s plea to include the Telugu Desam Party in the alliance.
You might like to read : Pawan Kalyan – A Tale of Stardom & Political Volte-Face
Will the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance materialise?
Andhra Pradesh state BJP president Purandeshwari has responded to Pawan Kalyan’s comments. While stating that there is no need to respond to Pawan Kalyan’s remarks, she mentioned that the matter will be brought to the attention of the BJP leaders at the Centre. It was made clear that they will act in accordance with the decisions and orders from the Centre.
Currently, there are speculations that the BJP at the centre is indirectly supporting the YCP. Analyzing the TDP’s situation in the state, the BJP believes that it may require the support of the YSRCP more than the TDP in the future. Therefore, it appears that Pawan Kalyan’s appeals regarding alliance with TDP and Chandrababu’s arrest are not being taken seriously. Pawan Kalyan recently announced the alliance between Janasena and TDP after his meeting with Chandrababu Naidu. It is important to note that Naidu is facing charges related to a skill development scam and is currently in jail. Pawan Kalyan expressed his optimism about the BJP also joining their alliance. However, due to differing political interests between the BJP and Janasena, it seems unlikely that an alliance between these three parties will materialise.
