Tollywood star and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan filed his nomination from the Gajuwaka Assembly constituency in Visakhapatnam district on Thursday and plunged into the electoral fray in right earnest. He is also contesting from the Bhimavaram Assembly constituency in West Godavari district.
After filing nomination, Pawan addressed a gathering and urged the public to vote for his party to usher in a change.
“Both the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress have let down the people and they are interested only in their political and personal gains. Vote for my party to usher in change. I have fielded people with a clean record and I seek your blessings,” he said.
Making a reference to VV Lakshminarayana, the former CBI official who is contesting as the Jana Sena candidate from Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha constituency, he said, “Such persons have entered the electoral fray on behalf of my party to cleanse politics of criminal elements. If you vote for persons like Jaganmohan Reddy, they will grab everything including the hills surrounding Vizag. I started my film career here and I am also beginning my political career here,” he added.
Backing the CM
Pawan, who potentially carries the backing of a sizeable percentage of the strong Kapu community, is an important player in the April 11 elections to both the Assembly and the Lok Sabha.
The Jana Sena leader has been criticising local TDP leaders, but has spared the Chief Minister.
He said he had entered the political arena to change the rules of the game and make it clean.
The YSR Congress leaders allege that “in spite of his pompous pronouncements, Pawan is only playing to the tune of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. He is in the contest only to help the TDP and his choice of candidates and his alliances with the Left and the BSP are only intended to help the TDP.”
The YSR Congress leaders are worried, going by their statements.
They want a clear, bi-polar contest with the TDP and the ruling party swept away in the election with the full impact of anti-incumbency. Pawan Kalyan, with his Leftist friends and the BSP, is clearly spoiling the game for them.