Telangana BJP leaders discuss possible alliance with Pawan Kalyan

Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from Telangana on Wednesday discussed with Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader and actor Pawan Kalyan the possibility of an alliance for the next month’s assembly elections in Telangana.

As JSP is a constituent of BJP-led NDA, union minister and BJP state president G. Kishan Reddy and party MP K. Laxman suggested that both the parties together contest the elections.

Jana Sena said in a statement that clarity is likely in a couple of days about both the parties together contesting the elections.

Pawan Kalyan conveyed the sentiments of Telangana leaders of Jana Sena to the BJP leaders. He recalled that in 2014 he had campaigned for TDP and BJP candidates in Andhra Pradesh and on the request of BJP leadership did not contest Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections.

Pawan Kalyan told the BJP leaders that if this time JSP does not contest at least 30 seats in Telangana, this would affect the morale of the party.

The actor is under pressure from his party cadre in Telangana to contest the elections. He had already announced his plans to contest a limited number of seats in Telangana. The state JSP leaders have requested him not to go back on his decision.

Kishan Reddy and Laxman, who later left for Delhi, are expected to apprise the BJP leadership about the outcome of their meeting with Pawan Kalyan. The meeting came amid the hectic activity in BJP to finalise the candidates for the Telangana elections.

Earlier, Pawan Kalyan met JSP leaders and workers from Telangana. He elicited their views about contesting the elections in the state.

The leaders reportedly told him that if the party does not contest the elections in Telangana this time, the cadres will be demoralized. They pointed out that the party stayed away from elections in 2018 so as not to create political uncertainty in the newly-created state. The JSP also did not take part in GHMC in 2021 at the request of its ally BJP.

After hearing the views of the leaders, Pawan Kalyan admitted that there is pressure on him. He assured them that he would value their opinion. He told them that the party would take an appropriate decision in 2-3 days.

There were reports last month that JSP will contest 32 out of the 119 seats in Telangana assembly election.

The party had reportedly decided to contest a majority of the seats located in and around Greater Hyderabad and in Khammam district.

In June, Pawan Kalyan had appointed incharges for 26 assembly constituencies in Telangana and had asked the party leaders from the state to prepare for contesting the coming elections.

He had said that JSP will work to fulfill the aspirations of Telangana movement. The actor politician had said that 1,300 martyrs laid down their lives for Telangana and though the separate state was achieved their expectations remained unfulfilled.

Pawan Kalyan told JSP leaders that he would soon undertake a campaign on his special campaign vehicle ‘Varahi’ in Telangana.

Elections for 119-member Telangana assembly are scheduled on November 30.