HYDERABAD: BJP State president G Kishan Reddy and MP K Laxman meeting Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan at the latter’s office in Jubilee Hills on Wednesday has led to speculation on the possibility of the saffron party getting into an alliance with Jana Sena Party (JSP) in Telangana for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Kishan Reddy dodged questions about what was discussed during the meeting with Pawan Kalyan, which went on for more than 30 minutes. The BJP leaders have clarified that the party’s state unit was only reaching out to Pawan seeking his party’s support to the BJP. Jana Sena leaders from Telangana, with whom the actor held a meeting on Tuesday night, strongly suggested that the party was ready to contest from at least 32 segments as they felt the outfit was gaining ground.
While the Jana Sena is an NDA ally, it announced a tie-up with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh after former CM Chandrababu Naidu’s arrest. Many leaders from the two parties want to contest independently. Leaders of the BJP fear that the TDP’s ties with Jana Sena could damage its prospects and would be a repeat of the Congress’ mistake in the 2018 Assembly polls here.
Jana Sena leaders feel the identity of the party is at a crucial stage in Telangana, and getting into an alliance may not help it. It can be recalled that during the 2014 and 2018 Assembly elections, and also during the GHMC elections, Jana Sena did not field its candidates and offered its support for the BJP.
Interestingly, Pawan Kalyan had in 2021 announced his support during the MLC elections to former PM PV Narasimha Rao’s daughter Surabhi Vani, who contested on a BRS ticket. This did help her win.
JSP leaders say the party’s membership has gone from just 12,000 members to 40,000. BJP leaders are aware that even a thousand votes could be crucial in deciding the winner in some segments, where support from Pawan could help.