Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan announces his constituency
- IndiaGlitz, [Thursday,March 14 2024]
Jana Sena Party chief and actor Pawan Kalyan announced his decision to contest from Pithapuram in the upcoming Andhra Pradesh assembly election, scheduled to be held this year. His party has formed an alliance with Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the state and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre for both the state and Lok Sabha elections.
Despite the alliance, Pawan Kalyan has chosen to contest from the state. In the 2019 elections, he contested from two seats, Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram, but lost to the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) candidates.
In the seat-sharing agreement, the BJP will contest 6 Lok Sabha seats and 10 assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, while the TDP will contest 17 Lok Sabha seats and 144 assembly seats. Pawan Kalyan's party has been allotted two Lok Sabha seats and 21 assembly seats to contest.
After the seat-sharing pact, the three parties issued a joint statement expressing confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They highlighted Modi's commitment to the nation's development over the past decade and stated that the alliance would help fulfill the aspirations of the people of Andhra Pradesh.
The statement also mentioned the longstanding relationship between the TDP and the BJP, dating back to 1996 when the TDP joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The parties had successfully collaborated in the governments led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi. In 2014, the TDP and the BJP contested the Lok Sabha and assembly elections together, with the Jana Sena Party supporting them.
Pithapuram Assembly constituency is located in Andhra Pradesh's Kakinada district and is currently represented by the YSRCP.
Pawan Kalyan, the younger brother of actor Chiranjeevi, entered politics in 2008 as the youth wing president of Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party. He founded the Jana Sena Party in 2014 but did not contest the elections that year. In the 2019 elections, his party contested and won only one seat, with Pawan Kalyan losing both seats he contested from.