Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan has responded to comparisons between his political journey and the rapid rise of Vijay, saying the political conditions in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu cannot be viewed through the same lens.
Speaking to Jana Sena workers at the party headquarters in Mangalagiri, Pawan Kalyan said he has been repeatedly questioned by party cadre and supporters over why Jana Sena chose to ally with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the BJP in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh elections, particularly after Vijay’s dramatic ascent to power in Tamil Nadu.
Referring to Vijay becoming Chief Minister within a short span of launching Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Pawan Kalyan said many people were asking why Jana Sena did not pursue a similar independent political path.
“After seeing Vijay become Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu, many people have been questioning why we took the alliance route in Andhra Pradesh. But Tamil Nadu’s circumstances are different from Andhra Pradesh’s,” he said.
Pawan Kalyan stressed that Jana Sena’s political decisions were shaped by Andhra Pradesh’s specific realities and by ideological considerations rather than electoral ambition.
“I started this party with the belief that politics should bring social change. I closely watched NTR’s political journey, and I also witnessed the Naxalism era, where many young people sacrificed their lives driven by ideology. Those experiences deeply influenced my thinking,” he said.
The actor-politician said Jana Sena was never created merely to secure power or positions. “For me, holding on to ideology was always more important than posts or power. That is the spirit with which I carried this party forward,” he added.
He also acknowledged that many Jana Sena workers still believe the party should have contested independently in 2024. “Even now, many of you feel we should have fought alone instead of aligning with Telugu Desam. I hear that repeatedly from our cadre,” he said.
However, Pawan Kalyan defended the alliance with the TDP and BJP, saying he took the decision only after “deep thinking” and keeping Andhra Pradesh’s political stability in mind.
“We had the strength to contest alone. At the Machilipatnam meeting itself, around 10 lakh people attended. But Andhra Pradesh was passing through a crucial phase,” he said.
Pawan Kalyan also referred to the arrest of TDP chief and current Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in 2023, describing it as a turning point.
“We may have had differences on some issues, but we continued to engage and speak. When a leader like Chandrababu Naidu was jailed, it became a critical moment for Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
He maintained that alliance politics became necessary for the state’s future and that political ego could not take precedence over stability.
Pawan Kalyan’s remarks come days after Vijay formally began his tenure as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister following TVK’s stunning electoral debut. The actor-turned-politician took oath at a grand ceremony at Chennai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium after TVK emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly.
Although short of the majority mark on its own, Vijay comfortably won the trust vote in the Assembly on Wednesday with the support of 144 MLAs. The confidence motion was passed amid dramatic scenes, with DMK and DMDK members walking out, while sections of the AIADMK camp led by leaders CV Shanmugam and SP Velumani extended support to the new government, exposing deep divisions within the party.
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