CHENNAI: While the Jana Sena has a significant presence in Andhra Pradesh, particularly among the youth and those disillusioned with the established political parties, it has not fared well in previous elections.
On 23 April, actor-turned-politician Power Star Pawan Kalyan (52) filed his nomination from the Pithapuram Assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh 2024. The state is set to go to the polls on May 13 and the big question now is how much of an impact Jana Sena would have given that the party has tied up with the Bharatiya Janata Party. This time around, the BJP, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Jana Sena have formed an alliance, which some see as a strong one against the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Thus, the main parties to look at in this year’s election in Andhra Pradesh are the BJP-TDP-Jana Sena, YSRCP and the I.N.D.I.A bloc.
TDP FACTOR
While the Jana Sena has a significant presence in Andhra Pradesh, particularly among the youth and those disillusioned with the established political parties, it has not fared well in previous elections. In the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, JSP didn’t perform as well as expected as they managed to win only one seat out of 175. While the party has a considerable following, its organizational structure, political alliances, and ability to connect with a broader voter base will determine its strength in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. But now that Pawan Kalyan has formed an alliance with N. Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), the prospects seem brighter for the Jana Sena.
The TDP government under Naidu was known for implementing various welfare schemes and development programs. These initiatives have helped the TDP maintain its support base. It has also been adept at forming alliances with other regional and national parties, which has helped it broaden its electoral base and consolidate power in recent times. But the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the emergence of new political players like YSR Congress Party, and internal party issues, have become major challenges for Chandrababu Naidu and his party, in recent times. In 2014, the TDP-BJP alliance was strong and won the 2014 Assembly elections with 106 seats by securing 46.86% votes. Relations between the TDP and BJP went south post that and in 2019, the YSR Congress Party won the election in a landslide, winning 151 of the 175 seats, with the incumbent TDP winning just 23. Now, with the new tri-party alliance involving Jana Sena, things seem to be on a better footing at this point between the BJP and TDP.
AP AND CASTE DOMINANT POLITICS
Pawan Kalyan belongs to the Kapu community and in a state that is dominated by caste politics, this is relevant even though the Telugu star doesn’t choose to project himself as a Kapu politician. The political parties in Andhra Pradesh are dominated by members of various castes like Reddys in the YSRCP and Kammas in the TDP. The Kapu community, which includes Kapu, Telaga, Balija, Vontari, and others, as per the last census, had a share of 24.7% of the state’s population, with the majority of them residing in East and West Godavari districts and Uttarandhra. In this scenario, Pawan Kalyan is perceived as a leader of the Kapus and could sway their votes strongly in favour of the BJP-TDP-JSP alliance. With Kammas and Reddys enjoying political power and having been elected into government several times, the Kapus who feel it is their turn to shine, could give impetus to this alliance and Power Star Pawan Kalyan.
Currently, megastar Chiranjeevi’s younger brother has one foot in politics and the other in cinema. The 2024 elections could be extremely significant for Pawan Kalyan, his party and his political career, as he has tied up with the ruling BJP. Right now, his ability to connect with the masses and address their concerns will be vital for his political success. He needs to gain the trust and confidence of the people of Andhra Pradesh to make a mark in the Lok Sabha elections.
In the upcoming Assembly elections, the TDP is contesting in 144 seats, the Jana Sena in 21 and the BJP in 10 seats. To boost Jana Sena’s chances of winning, megastar Chiranjeevi, who hasn’t had a great run in politics, came out in support of his brother recently. He stated, “I believe that they will show the results and I request you to vote for them. I have a strong desire that Andhra Pradesh should be developed and I appeal to you all to help in this respect. I urge the people to elect good leaders by casting their vote and help the state develop faster.” With anti-incumbency and list of complaints piling up against the ruling YSRCP, this time Pawan Kalyan and Jana Sena could just make the desired impact.