After Modi’s meeting, what’s next for Pawan Kalyan in Andhra Pradesh?
Pawan Kalyan: Jana Sena boss Pawan Kalyan is at a political crossroads. He now realizes that Chandrababu wants him only because the latter’s strength increases. He also knows that the BJP wants him on their side just to get stronger. So he feels he needs some MLA seats and a significant share of the vote if he wants to stay relevant in state politics.
Pawan met with Chandrababu some time ago and with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently. Sources close to him say Pawan has come to the conclusion that unless he has a few seats in the MLA, no one would give him any respect. Therefore, he feels that winning at least a few seats in the state assembly and possibly a couple of seats in parliament gives him much-needed respectability.
Senior sources believe that Pawan Kalyan may soon cut ties with the Modi-led BJP. He feels his party has gained nothing by siding with the BJP. He is reportedly upset that the BJP cadre and the Jana Sena cadre have not meshed well at the grassroots level. So far no joint action has been seen.
According to sources close to the Jana Sena, the party chief believes that it would be good for the Jana Sena to align itself with the Left parties and the BJP. This would make Jana Sena the senior partner and would be listened to by the left and the BSP. This is not possible in either the BJP-led alliance or the formulation of the TDP. Sources say that Pawan is actively considering this option. Let’s wait and see how Pawan charts the course in the days to come.
