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Published Mar 16, 2025 | 6:23 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 16, 2025 | 6:23 PM
Pawan Kalyan and SVSN Varma.
Synopsis: Pawan Kalyan was allotted the Pithapuram Assembly constituency in the 2024 election over SVSN Varma due to alliance agreement. In the recent MLC election, his brother Naga Babu was nominated, again neglecting Varma. The moves has given rise to speculations that Pawan Kalyan is trying to sideline Varma.
Is TDP leader SVSN Varma caught in a political game of musical chairs? Is there a grand plan to push him out of Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh for good, all to cement Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan’s stronghold in the constituency?
The buzz got louder after Jana Sena MLC and Pawan Kalyan’s elder brother, Naga Babu, made some cryptic comments at the party’s Foundation Day celebrations in Pithapuram on Friday, 14 March.
Varma, a well-known Kshatriya leader, won Pithapuram assembly seat as an independent in 2014 after TDP denied him a ticket. He secured a whopping 57 percent of the votes, defeating YSRCP’s Pandem Dorababu. Fast forward to 2019, TDP finally gave him the ticket, but luck wasn’t on his side — he lost to the same opponent.
By the time the 2024 elections rolled around, the political landscape had shifted. As part of the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance, Pawan Kalyan claimed the seat and defeated YSRCP’s Vanga Geeta Viswanath with an impressive 64 percent vote share. Meanwhile, Dorababu, who was denied a ticket this time, reportedly harbored resentment against his party’s leadership.
Naidu had initially promised Varma an MLC seat as compensation for stepping aside for Pawan Kalyan. However, when the time came, that promise seemed to vanish into thin air.
Instead, Pawan Kalyan’s brother, Naga Babu, walked away with the nomination.
Naturally, this didn’t sit well with Varma, who had worked tirelessly in the constituency and even campaigned for Pawan Kalyan. The Jana Sena chief, during his campaign, acknowledged that Varma’s strong local following and that without his help, it would be difficult for him to navigate the choppy electoral waters.
Then came the twist. When it was time for MLC nominations, Naidu was willing to keep his word, but Pawan Kalyan allegedly had other plans. He reportedly influenced the decision to sideline Varma, ensuring that his political grip over Pithapuram would remain unchallenged.
Adding salt to the wound, at the party’s Foundation Day event, Naga Babu made a statement that many saw as a direct jab at Varma. He declared that Pawan Kalyan’s victory was purely due to his own star power and the support of Jana Sena activists.
And just in case the message wasn’t clear enough, he went on to say that if anyone thought they were responsible for Pawan Kalyan’s win, it was their own delusion — basically, their “funeral” (karma).
To make matters worse for Varma, his longtime rival, former MLA Pandem Dorababu, has joined Jana Sena. Varma’s supporters believe that this move was strategically approved by Pawan Kalyan to further diminish their leader’s political standing and strengthen his own hold over the constituency.
Is Varma just another casualty of high-stakes politics? Or is there a comeback in the works? Only time will tell.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
