In Telangana, PM Modi Shares Stage with Pawan Kalyan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared stage with actor-politician Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday in a move that was high on optics in Telangana, a state where the BJP is keen on expanding its footprint. The party has allotted eight seats to the actor's Jan Sena Party in the state, where Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party will not be in the race.  

Pawan Kalyan's Jan Sena Party so far has not made a big impact at the hustings, but the BJP is hoping to get traction from the actor's big fan base in the state that has been ruled since its inception by K Chandrasekhar Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi.  

Party insiders indicate that the BJP is hoping to limit the damage in Telangana. The party's electoral prospects are expected to be hit by its decision to replace Bandi Sanjay as state chief, and apparent reluctance to act against Mr Rao daughter K Kavitha in connection with the alleged liquor scam in Delhi.  

The Congress, which has been a third in the race for Telangana's 119 seats, is expected to reap the rewards. 

Pawan Kalyan has vowed to fight alongside Mr Naidu in Andhra Pradesh. But the TDP chief has not been able to get on the NDA boat after his 2018 decision to walk out of the coalition. The BJP, not yet ready to bury the hatchet, has been cool to his overtures. 

But that has not affected Pawan Kalyan's ties with the BJP. At the meeting in Hyderabad today, the Jana Sena Party chief said that he likes PM Modi for his toughness on national security and taking decisions without eyeing just electoral gains. 

Speaking at the rally, he said during the agitation for Telangana statehood, the slogans were water, jobs and funds for Telangana. But after the formation of the state, those slogans remained as "just slogans but nothing was fulfilled". 

"If PM Modi had taken decisions with only electoral gains in mind, Article 370 would not have been revoked, and the practice of triple talaq would not have been banned, Ram Mandir would not have been made," he said. 

"A country's development and internal security are important. If anybody attacks us, Modi will make sure that they will pay a price. That's why I like Modi. Phir ek bar Modi Sarkar," Pawan Kalyan said. 

Telangana votes on November 30. The counting is due on December 3 when vote-counting will happen from four other states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.