Prime Minister Modi and Pawan Kalyan Share Stage in Telangana, Igniting Excitement

In a significant move aimed at expanding the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) influence in Telangana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared the stage with actor-politician Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday. This event was highly focused on optics as the BJP has allocated eight seats to Kalyan’s Jan Sena Party in the state. Interestingly, the Telugu Desam Party led by Chandrababu Naidu will not be participating in the race.

Although Kalyan’s Jan Sena Party has not made a significant impact in previous elections, the BJP is hopeful that his large fan base will help garner support for the party. Telangana has been under the rule of K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi since its inception. Party insiders suggest that the BJP aims to minimize potential damage in the state.

The BJP’s electoral prospects in Telangana have been affected by recent decisions, such as the replacement of Bandi Sanjay as state chief and the party’s reluctance to take action against K Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter, K Kavitha, in connection with an alleged liquor scam in Delhi. As a result, the Congress party, which has been a third contender in the Telangana elections, is expected to benefit.

While Pawan Kalyan has pledged to support Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh, the TDP chief has struggled to form an alliance with the NDA after leaving the coalition in 2018. The BJP has been cautious in responding to Naidu’s overtures. However, this has not affected Kalyan’s ties with the BJP. During the rally in Hyderabad, Kalyan praised PM Modi for his strong stance on national security and decision-making, which is not solely driven by electoral gains.

Speaking at the rally, Kalyan highlighted the unfulfilled promises made during the agitation for Telangana statehood, emphasizing the importance of a country’s development and internal security. He expressed his support for PM Modi, stating that if anyone attacks India, Modi will ensure they pay a price. Kalyan concluded his speech by endorsing the slogan “Phir ek bar Modi Sarkar” (Once again, Modi government).

Telangana is set to vote on November 30, with the counting scheduled for December 3, along with the results from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram.