VIJAYAWADA: Post elections, discontent is simmering in the actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena.The primary reason for it being his alleged clandestine understanding with the ruling Telugu Desam and the way he conducted his poll campaign, targeting the YSR Congress more than the TDP, and issuing party tickets to ‘unworthy elements’ much to the dismay of the party loyalists.
The first signs of disillusionment with Pawan emerged just a day after the elections with party cadre and leaders going AWOL leaving the party headquarters deserted. Worse, some senior leaders are planning to jump ship. Pawan himself has gone to Hyderabad and his core group was given ‘one-month’ vacation.
Though going on a vacation after a hectic campaign is understandable, sources in the party told TNIE that there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Lending credence to this, Addepalli Sridhar, official spokesperson and the most vocal and visible man of the Jana Sena, on Saturday announced that he was going to keep away from all party activities.
It is learnt that he has made up his mind to quit the party.
Highly-placed sources in the party said: “The lofty objective with which the party was launched has been completely diluted.”
“Tickets were given to the undeserving, instead of those who were attracted by the party’s ideology and served it loyally,” the sources said. The disenchanted partymen are also disappointed with Pawan’s perceived dalliance with the TDP, which, they believe, took the steam off the poll campaign, particularly in the last few days leading up to the polling day.
Many in the party are pessimistic about its prospects in the elections with some predicting that it may not even win five seats. “It will be difficult for the party to win 10 seats, as the contest in most places was largely between the TDP and the YSRC. Voters looked at Jana Sena as the TDP’s B team,” a member of Pawan’s young brigade told TNIE.
The party leaders are not even sure of the prospects of the JSP chief, who contested from Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka Assembly segments. During electioneering, he hardly visited the constituencies. In the run-up to the elections, the Jana Sena had projected itself as a ‘kingmaker, if not the king’. Pawan, in fact, went to the extent of claiming that he would be the next chief minister. However, the same enthusiasm was missing in the last lap of the campaign. Sridhar, the man who batted for Jana Sena in TV debates, is likely to quit the party formally soon. Much like Parakala Prabhakar’s press conference while leaving the Praja Rajyam, Sridhar’s parting shot could be explosive. He had expected to be given the Rajamahendravaram ticket, which was ultimately given to A Satyanarayana.
An advocate by profession, Sridhar, who runs several educational institutions, started his political journey with the Praja Rajyam Party. Before joining the Jana Sena, he was with the Congress, the TDP and others. “I feel disappointed with the way things are shaping up in the party. Hence, my decision to keep away from party affairs,” he told TNIE. Party senior leader Nadendla Manohar said he was not aware of Sridhar’s decision.
“Our party is young and growing, and it will emerge stronger as it progresses,” he said. Meanwhile, speculations are rife that the Jana Sena leadership is contemplating downsizing its staff. A senior leader denied it stating that not many staff were on the party’s payroll right from the beginning. “Most of the people who worked for the Jana Sena are Pawan’s fans and friends, and did it voluntarily,” he said.
‘Prospects look Grim’
Many in the party are pessimistic about its prospects in the elections with some predicting that it may not even win five seats. The leaders are not sure if the Jana Sena supremo, who contested from Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka Assembly segments, would win from any of these constituencies