Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan has asserted that the party would forge political alliances to defeat the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) in the general elections in 2024.
“For the JSP, the principal opponent is the YSRCP, and we are not prepared to bite the dust in a triangular contest in the elections,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said while addressing the party’s mandal and division presidents’ meeting at Mangalagiri on Friday.
‘Elections in December’
Mr. Pawan Kalyan predicted that Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would go for elections in December this year.
“The JSP is ready to plunge into the election battle, and the process will begin in June,” he said.
JSP vote share
The JSP had a vote share of 7% in the previous election, he claimed. “The party has an average vote share of 145 to 18% in the State now. It differs from district to district. It is as much as 34% to 36% in the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts as per certain reports,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said.
“The love and affection that people shower on me should translate into votes. We will form the government definitely,” he said.
Stressing the need for a strategy and forging alliances, Mr. Pawan Kalyan reminded that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which is now Bharat Rahstra Samihti (BRS), had started its journey with 6 or 7 MLAs and one MP seat. It had forged alliances with other parties in its early days. “There are only strategies in politics, and there is no place for ego or hypocrisy,” he observed.
“It is inappropriate to talk about the Chief Ministership at present. The Chief Ministerial candidate will be decided after the election results, and it doesn’t make any sense to talk about it now. No party will be willing to make the other party’s leader as Chief Minister. The strength in elections has to speak. The JSP is not ready to declare any TDP leader as the Chief Minister before the elections,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said.
“Had the JSP got at least 45 to 50 seats in the previous elections, we would have got a chance to become the Chief Minister,” he observed.
“People think about the JSP or Pawan Kalyan only when in trouble. Had the JSP got at least 7 seats like the MIM in Telangana, the situation in Andhra Pradesh would have been different,” he said.
“Nevertheless, people have love towards us. Constitute booth-level committees. Every leader should strive to mobilise a minimum of 50 votes,” he said.
Objecting to portraying him as a Kapu leader, he said, “People’s love for me is beyond borders and caste. It is evident from their response not just in Andhra but also in Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.”
