2024 In Focus, Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Announces Alliance With BJP

Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan has announced that his Jana Sena Party is entering into an alliance with the BJP and the two would fight all coming elections together, and hope to capture power in Andhra Pradesh in 2024.

"Today is a historic day of announcement of BJP-Jana Sena alliance," Sunil Deodhar, BJP in charge for Andhra Pradesh said, at a joint press conference of leaders of the two parties.

"We will fight together to end political casteism, political dynasty raj and corruption in the state," Mr Deodhar said. "In a short period of time, Jagan Mohan Reddy government has failed and so did Chandrababu Naidu. And there is no question of any alliance of the BJP with Telugu Desam or with YSRCP in the state," declared the BJP in charge for Andhra Pradesh, putting to rest some speculation doing the rounds.

Pawan Kalyan has come a full 360 degrees with his alliance with the BJP. He fought along with the BJP in 2014 but did not contest elections. In 2019, he had gone 180 degrees and fought the elections along with the Left and Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP. Now he says they will form the government in Andhra Pradesh after the 2024 elections.

"After 2014, there was a communication gap between us. In the last three months, I met several BJP leaders including seniors in Delhi and for sake of Andhra Pradesh future, BJP and Jana Sena will work together," he said.

On the issue of multiple capital city proposed by the YSRCP government, both the Jana Sena and BJP leaders said Jagan Mohan Reddy could not take unilateral decisions.

"Jagan Mohan Reddy in fact said in the assembly that he accepts Amaravati as the capital. I had pointed out such a big capital building in a short time not possible. I had expressed apprehensions that if ruling party changes, future will be at stake and it has happened just as I feared," Pawan Kalyan said.

State BJP chief Kanna Laxminarayana said Amaravati was arrived at by consensus and the government cannot go ahead with the multiple capital city project just because they have a majority in the state assembly.

The state BJP and Jana Sena intend to have a coordination committee that will meet every few weeks and discuss on the issues to be taken up.

The meetings and press conference was attended by Pawan Kalyan, Nadendla Manohar, former IAS Rammohan and others on behalf of the Jana Sena. On behalf of the BJP, the state president, BJP in charge for Andhra Pradesh Sunil Deodhar, GVL Narasimha Rao, Purandeswari and others were present.

Pawan Kalyan has come forward to work unconditionally with the BJP, the BJP president said, and blamed the YSRCP government of taking anti-people decisions.

The BJP including Amit Shah and GVL Narasimha Rao had said Pawan Kalyan must merge his Jana Sena with the BJP if he wants to work with the national party but on Thursday they said the alliance was unconditional from both sides.

YSR Congress has reacted saying Pawan Kalyan is a leader without consistency. The party's Ambati Rambabu mocked Pawan Kalyan for saying it is an unconditional merger. "He is the same one who said Modi gave spoilt laddoos to Andhra Pradesh. What changed now?"

"Why should we worry about two parties which hardly have a presence in Andhra Pradesh," he asked. In the 2019 elections, Jana Sena got less than seven per cent vote share and BJP got less than one per cent.

On the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, Pawan Kalyan said he does not believe it is inimical to the interests of the Muslims in India.