NDA’s Andhra lynchpin, Pawan Kalyan now Deputy CM: How JSP chief turned things around
Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan at a victory celebration after the declaration of Assembly election results. (Photo: JanaSena Party/ X)
Andhra Pradesh Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan at a victory celebration after the declaration of Assembly election results. (Photo: JanaSena Party/ X)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday appointed JanaSena Party (JSP) president K Pawan Kalyan, 55, as the Deputy CM with the portfolios of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development with additional portfolios of Rural Drinking Water Supply, Environment and Forests, and Science and Technology.
The 55-year-old actor-turned-politician who helped bring together the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Andhra won for the first time from the Pithapuram Assembly constituency in Kakinada district. Written off as a political leader a year ago, Kalyan, popularly known as the “Power Star”, turned things around, helping Naidu topple the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government.
In all his speeches, Kalyan talked about tackling rural poverty, social justice, arranging drinking water supply to homes, and rural development. “He got the ministry which will give him a chance to realise his dream of working for the poor and downtrodden. It is very close to his heart and he is excited to start work,’’ said Kalyan’s political secretary Hari Prasad.
Kalyan launched the JSP on March 14, 2014, as Andhra Pradesh awaited its bifurcation and the creation of the new Telangana state. But in the years since then, it was mostly a story of downs rather than ups. In 2014, he lent support to the TDP-BJP NDA alliance but did not contest. In 2019, his party contested and won only one seat while Kalyan himself lost from Bhimawavarm and Gajuwaka.
Chandrababu Naidu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by Andhra Pradesh CM Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan during the swearing-in ceremony, in Vijayawada, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (PTI Photo)
But not dejected, the actor-politician relaunched himself, taking on the YSRCP and Jagan Mohan Reddy. As the TDP was pushed to the defensive in the face of a powerful YSRCP and the state machinery, Pawan Kalyan started off with small corner meetings and public rallies that strengthened the party and helped Kalyan transform into a mature politician. On October 19, 2022, the state government banned Kalyan’s public meeting in Visakhapatnam and JSP leaders and cadre were arrested in a crackdown while Kalyan was confined in a hotel.
The incident brought Kalyan and Naidu together again. Almost a year later, when Naidu was arrested in the alleged AP Skill Development Corporation scam in September 2023, Kalyan not only put his political career on the line but also his acting future when the following day he was stopped mid-way while he was on his way to meet Naidu in jail. Kalyan declared his support for the TDP chief and announced an electoral tie-up.
With the TDP by his side, Kalyan attempted to unite the Kammas (Naidu’s community) and Kapus, his community, which had been at loggerheads since the 1970s. It was not a decision much liked within his party as people feared the consequences of the decision. Even as the BJP took its time to make up its mind about joining them, JSP stuck to the TDP and played a role in convincing it. To ensure the alliance came together, Kalyan agreed to contest fewer seats than his earlier targets, which “disappointed” a section of his party leaders and cadre. Finally, the BJP in March agreed to contest along with the TDP and the JSP.
“No one can discount the fact that it was our leader’s efforts that brought the three parties together. When he first proposed the idea to the BJP, he was summoned to Delhi and was at the receiving end of flak from their leadership. But he stood his ground and kept up his efforts,” one of Kalyan’s close aides recently told The Indian Express.
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