Pawan Kalyan, the leader of Jana Sena, made a public appearance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Hyderabad. In a surprising move, the BJP has allocated eight seats to Jana Sena in Telangana, despite Kalyan’s existing alliance with Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh. Kalyan and Naidu have declared that they will join forces to defeat their common enemy, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. However, the BJP has shown no interest in forming a friendship with Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and has been indifferent to their attempts at reconciliation. The relationship between the BJP, Jana Sena, and TDP has become complicated.
Pawan Kalyan, in a dramatic fashion, proclaimed outside Rajamahendravaram Central Jail on September 14 that his party, Jana Sena, and the Telugu Desam Party would join forces in Andhra Pradesh for the 2024 elections. He also emphasized that he remains a part of the NDA and that Jana Sena is committed to the BJP as part of the alliance. Kalyan has repeatedly expressed his hope that all three parties can unite in Andhra Pradesh to defeat Jagan Reddy’s YSRCP.
The BJP’s history with Chandrababu Naidu makes it difficult for them to forget the past and form a close alliance with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, as they did in 2014. The BJP is not ready to reconcile after Naidu left the party in 2018.
The current focus has shifted to Telangana, where elections are scheduled to take place in about three weeks. The political landscape of the two Telugu states is deeply intertwined due to their close connection.
The TDP, which previously formed a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in 2018, has announced that their symbol, the bicycle, will not participate in the Telangana elections. Naidu, who has been granted bail for medical treatment, has chosen to invest his time and resources in the fight in Andhra Pradesh, opting out of the poll battle in Telangana. As a result, the bicycle symbol will be absent from the ballot for the first time in 40 years.
The BJP’s own political standing in Telangana, which seemed to be on the rise since 2020, has suffered a setback due to their decision to replace Bandi Sanjay as the state chief and their reluctance to take action against K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, K Kavitha. Consequently, the BJP has lost anti-KCR sentiment votes to the Congress, and they aim to limit the damage.
This is where Pawan Kalyan comes into play. Despite not achieving significant electoral success, Kalyan has a strong fan base, particularly among the youth in the two Telugu states. His star appeal could attract some votes for the BJP at a time when their political prospects in Telangana are dim.
Furthermore, Kalyan’s brother, megastar Chiranjeevi, secured an impressive 18% vote share in 2009 during the Praja Rajyam’s debut electoral outing. This was due to Chiranjeevi’s popularity as well as his focus on social justice and the support of the Backward Caste Munnuru Kapu community.
During the Prime Minister’s meeting in Hyderabad, where Kalyan is a special guest, the focus is on the “self-respect” of Backward Caste communities. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has promised that if Telangana votes the BJP to power, a Backward Caste Chief Minister will be appointed. The BJP hopes to win the support of the Backward Caste community with Kalyan’s assistance.
Additionally, the BJP is aware of the Telugu Desam Party’s support base in Telangana, particularly in areas around Hyderabad, Nalgonda, and Khammam. Amit Shah met Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh in New Delhi, with the meeting aimed at reassuring TDP supporters in Telangana. The BJP wants to convey that they were not responsible for Naidu’s imprisonment and that they empathize with Lokesh and Naidu’s situation.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has reportedly angered Naidu’s sympathizers in Telangana by not taking appropriate actions following his arrest. The TRS prevented public protests in Hi-Tech City, an area whose development is largely credited to Naidu. The TRS has been making efforts to rectify this situation by making statements through former TDP leaders and BRS ministers. They have also participated in the 25-year celebrations of Hi-Tech City, aimed at honoring Naidu.
The BJP hopes to prevent TDP supporters in Telangana from voting for the Congress, which is now led by Naidu’s former confidante, Revanth Reddy. They could achieve this by capitalizing on Kalyan’s close alliance with Naidu, potentially swaying the TDP vote towards the BJP-Jana Sena alliance. If this strategy fails, the BJP may use it as a reason to question the viability of an alliance with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh if the Telugu Desam vote does not transfer to Jana Sena.
There is some resentment within the BJP regarding the number of tickets given to Pawan Kalyan in Telangana, as some party members believe they should not concede ground in and around Hyderabad, where the BJP has a strong electoral base. However, they must consider the bigger picture. Interestingly, BJP Telangana chief Kishen Reddy stated that Jana Sena’s support helped the BJP perform well in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections in December 2020, following a meeting with Pawan Kalyan in Hyderabad.
The political gains that the BJP may achieve through their alliance with Jana Sena are not as significant as Pawan Kalyan’s own party’s performance in the upcoming elections. A poor showing by Jana Sena could provide ammunition for their rival, Jagan Reddy, who consistently targets Kalyan at every opportunity.
The TRS is likely to use the BJP-Jana Sena alliance to highlight the influence of Delhi and Andhra in these elections. Similarly, YS Sharmila, leader of the YSR Telangana Party, has unconditionally supported the Congress, which is also being discussed in the same context. KCR, who has previously campaigned on the platform of Telangana self-respect, could use this antagonist narrative to maintain control of the state, free from influence by Delhi and Andhra. The presence of an identifiable “enemy” and an “Us vs Them” dynamic tends to engage and involve the audience in any story.
