He released the teaser of his political yatra, in which he was seen performing a yagna at the Mangalagiri party office for people's welfare.
Published Jun 13, 2023 | 4:55 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 13, 2023 | 4:55 PM
Pawan Kalyan with his yatra vehicle 'Varahi'. (Twitter)
Even as he prepares to kickstart his ‘Varahi’ Yatra, actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan has set his eyes on Telangana too.
Amid speculation that the BJP is weighting its options to tie-up with the TDP in poll-bound Telangana, the saffron party’s ally Pawan Kalyan appointed constituency in-charges in the state from his party — a clear indication that he has taken an interest in upcoming Assembly elections.
Once bitten twice shy, the Jana Sena chief — who faced an ignominious defeat in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls — is navigating the political landscape of the state cautiously, as bells toll for elections in about a year.
This time, he is keen on joining hands with TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu to fight the election, shedding his ambition of becoming the chief minister — at least for now.
His immediate goal is to be on the winning side and then — maybe, who knows — one day the opportunity to become chief minister may come his way and he would seize the day.
He released the teaser of his political yatra in the state on Monday, 12 June, in which he was seen performing a yagna at the party office in Mangalagiri near Vijayawada for loka kalyanam — public welfare.
It was, in fact, a prelude to his expedition to conquer Andhra Pradesh from Wednesday in the specially built vehicle — Varahi — that looks more like a tactical vehicle one sees in war movies.
He is expected to first offer prayers to Lord Satayanrayana Swamy at Annavaram and then address his first public meeting at Kathipudi Junction in the Prathipadu Assembly constituency from atop the Varahi.
The party workers are busy making preparations for the big event.
This will kick off Pawan Kalyan’s political peregrination, with the road meandering through villages in the East and West Godavari districts — the heartland of the Kapu caste to which he belongs.
యాగ ఫల సిద్ధిరస్తు..!
జనసేన పార్టీ కేంద్ర కార్యాలయంలోని యాగశాలను సందర్శించిన సినీ ప్రముఖులు#2DaysToVarahiYatra pic.twitter.com/dQghKQHCx4
— JanaSena Party (@JanaSenaParty) June 12, 2023
The Assembly segments that Varahi will visit include Sitapuram, Kakinada Rural, Kakinada Urban, Mummidivaram, Amalapuram, C-Gannavaram, Razole, and Narasapuram, before reaching Bhimavaram.
The Kapu leader will interact with the people from various strata of society in each constituency and learn about the problems they were facing under the YSRCP dispensation in the state.
These programmes are named “Jana Vani”, where he is expected to lend a patient ear to the people while they pour out their grievances.
The party would do the follow-up work with the government for a solution to the problems brought to his notice.
Nadendla Manohar, chairman of the Political Affairs Committee Jana Sena, has constituted seven committees to coordinate the arrangements for the yatra.
There will also be a medical team in attendance, should any need arise during the yatra, an official press release said.
Pawan Kalyan, while preparing for his yatra in Andhra Pradesh, announced that his party would make a foray in Telangana this time, which might cause some amount of discomfiture to Telangana Chief Minister and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao.
Though Pawan Kalyan is essentially an Andhra Pradesh leader, his glamour as a matinee idol might wean away the votes of youths in parts of Telangana where the Andhra population is significant.
He also appointed in-charges for 26 Assembly constituencies in Telangana, asserting that the Jana Sena aimed to ensure the fulfilment of the objective of the Telangana movement.
Pawan Kalyan, in a meeting with party leaders from Telangana, said that the Jana Sena would fight for water, employment, and enough budget for development, which were the cornerstone of the Telangana movement.
He had asked: “What purpose would the creation of Telangana state serve if we cannot help the youth have access to them?”
He said no party would encourage so many youths in an election as Jana Sena was doing now and wanted them to make the best use of the opportunity in taking the party’s ideology into the midst of the people.
As alliance with the TDP is certain, Pawan Kalyan might become a fly in the ointment for Chandrashekar Rao.
The BJP is also expected to have an alliance with them. In that case, the BRS chief may have to watch out.
According to analysts, Andhra people see the BJP as a party that contributed to the division of the state to some extent, and have no love lost for it.
The BJP, which wants to improve its tally in Telangana, might be tempted to join hands with Chandrababu Naidu, which might find some acceptance with the Andhra people settled in Telangana since Naidu had fought against the division of the state.
Andhra Pradesh, after all, would never forgive the Congress as it was solely responsible for the division of the state in 2014, when it was in power at the Centre.
At present, the “settlers” — people from Andhra who have settled in Telangana — are with KCR, though he is the principal enemy of the Andhra people, because there was no one to challenge him till now.
If Naidu & Co appear strong, it is possible some votes might come their way.
