Pawan Kalyan met TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu, who is out on bail, and Telangana BJP chief Kishan Reddy and discussed alliance plans in the two Telugu states.
Pawan Kalyan said he will hit the campaign trail with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (X)
Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan held separate meetings with TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Saturday, 4 November.
Kalyan, who returned after a family function abroad, discussed sharing of seats with the BJP in Telangana.
Naidu, out on bail in the multi-crore skill development scam case, recently announced that the TDP would not be in the race to the Telangana Legislative Assembly. Incidentally, the Jana Sena is contesting the Assembly polls for the first time in Telangana.
Jana Sena has so far contested only the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The BJP ally in October announced its plan to join hands with the TDP. The saffron party has not made a decision on joining forces with the TDP-JSP alliance.
On 2 October, the Jana Sena announced that it would contest the Telangana Assembly elections and released a list of 32 constituencies.
A few days later, the BJP asked the Jana Sena not to take part in the elections, but instead to support it in Telangana.
However, Jana Sena leaders in Telangana wanted to contest the polls, saying the party had not tested the electoral waters in the state, and also it would protect the interests of the workers.
Kalyan agreed with them and emphasised this when he met Kishan Reddy. The BJP has so far announced 88 candidates for the Assembly polls.
After Saturday’s meeting, the Jana Sena chief announced that he would campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who would arrive in the state on Tuesday.
Apart from the two seats, the BJP and the JSP have arrived at a consensus on all other segments.
According to reports, nine seats have been finalised for the JSP, while talks were on for two more seats, including Serilingampally, a segment with a large number of settlers from Andhra Pradesh.
Pawan Kalyan discussed a joint action plan for the Andhra Pradesh elections with Naidu.
“During his two-hour visit, the JSP chief emphasised on the planned joint manifesto and suggested some additions to the TDP’s Bavishyathuku Guarantee, which Naidu promised to consider,” TDP sources said.
Besides the common manifesto, the two leaders also discussed issues such as the power-tariff hike and sand mining that have to be taken up in Andhra Pradesh for agitations. The issues would be forwarded to the consideration of a joint coordination committee.
“Naidu further suggested Kalyan coordinate with his son and the party’s national general secretary Nara Lokesh, since he was on conditional bail and would undergo a cataract surgery at the LV Prasad Eye Institute,” the sources said.
May 14, 2024
May 14, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
