Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan has said there is no change in his stand that the anti-YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) votes should not be allowed to split in the 2024 elections, but that does not mean he will forge alliances at the cost of his self-respect.
“The JSP’s strength has more than doubled on an average since 2019 when it garnered 7% of the votes amidst heavy odds,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan told the media at the party office at Mangalagiri on Thursday.
“Parties that can influence the outcome of elections should come together. Every party has its own strength. I hope all the parties will come together to form a coalition for the common cause of defeating the YSRCP. ”Pawan Kalyan President, Jana Sena Party
“The situation demands that parties that can influence the outcome of elections should come together to bring about the much-needed change of guard in 2024. Every party has its own strength. I hope all the parties will come together to form a coalition for the common cause of defeating the YSRCP,” he stated, without dropping a clear hint on the direction in which the JSP’s alliance with the BJP was headed, or the likelihood of it tying up with the TDP.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he had been closely observing since 2008 how alliances worked, and that it was a tough job to zero in on a particular option.
He pointed out that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) had in its formative years as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) grown into a formidable entity through alliances.
As far as the JSP was concerned, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he would bargain with potential allies on the basis of facts and figures about the ground that it (JSP) gained after 2019, before which the party was focused on building the organisation.
‘Will not plead for CM post’
He said he would not plead with either the BJP or the TDP to make him the Chief Minister, which should happen with the solid backing of the voters.
Asked how he viewed the talk of early elections, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he was aware of it, and decided to spend more time on the field from June, indicating that he might finally hit the ground running in his campaign vehicle ‘Varahi’.
Farmers’ plight
The JSP chief took a dig at the government for the shoddy manner in which it handled the enormous loss incurred by the farmers due to untimely rains, saying that what he saw during his two-day visit to the areas affected by the downpour in the combined East Godavari district was only crisis management, but not preventive action that would have mitigated the farmers’ woes.
The agriculture and allied departments were inactive, and the Ministers had only rubbed salt on the farmers’ wounds by making objectionable comments against them, he said, vowing to fight for due compensation for the loss incurred by them, and input assistance.
