Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief and famous actor Pawan Kalyan on Thursday (September 14) announced his party's alliance with the Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for the next Andhra Pradesh elections as the state cannot afford the rule of YSRCP. The alliance's announcement came days after Naidu's arrest in a multi-crore corruption case.
"Andhra Pradesh can't afford YSRCP. I have made the decision today. Janasena and TDP will go together in the next elections," Kalyan told reporters, accompanied by Naidu's son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh and Hindupur MLA and Naidu's brother-in-law Nandamuri Balakrishna.
Pawan Kalyan met Chandrababu Naidu in jail
He made this announcement outside the Rajamahendravaram central prison after meeting the TDP chief, who is detained due to his alleged involvement in a multi-crore skill development corporation scam.
Condemning the former Chief Minister's arrest, he said he would not just leave by condemning the arrest and declaring his stand. He termed his meeting with Naidu in jail as a significant development for Andhra Pradesh.
Notably, the former Andhra CM was arrested on September 10 and was sent to judicial custody for 14 days in connection with a Rs 371 crore corruption scam in which he is accused of masterminding a conspiracy to divert money meant to train unemployed youth. The case involves the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation, which was established when Naidu's Telugu Desam Party was in power.
Pawan Kalyan is still with NDA
Pawan Kalyan is still with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Andhra Pradesh will see simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in 2024. The BJP hasn't made any statement till now on the JSP chief's announcement.
The JSP was in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Partry of India (Marxist) in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly Elections. The party polled more than 17 lakh votes (close to 6% vote share) and won only East Godavari district's Razole constituency where its candidate Rapaka Vara Prasada Rao defeated YSRCP's Bonthu Rajeswara Rao by just 814 votes. Pawan Kalyan contested from two constituencies and lost both Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram. In the 2019 state elections, the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) decimated the then-incumbent TDP by winning 151 seats in the 175-strong Andhra Pradesh Assembly. The TDP could manage only 23 seats, the party's worst performance till date.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the JSP failed miserably and couldn't open its account. However, it managed to get more than 18 lakh votes (around 6% of the total votes polled). The party performed well in Visakhapatnam (23.30%), Narsapuram (21.27%), Amalapuram (20.67%), Rajahmundry (12.46%) and Kakinada (10.72%) constituencies. The YSRCP won 22 and the remaining 3 seats were won by the TDP.
Also Read: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan to attend NDA meeting in Delhi on July 18
Also Read: Andhra Pradesh: Chandrababu Naidu taken to jail in corruption case, TDP workers hold protest
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