Pawan Kalyan takes part in a purification ritual, as part of his 11-day penance to propitiate the deity amid the Tirupati laddu controversy in Vijayawada.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: Last week, amidst the controversy surrounding Tirupati laddu row, a significant event reflecting the future political matrix in Andhra Pradesh lost to the noise. Three important opposition YSRCP leaders had joined Jana Sena in the presence of its chief, Pawan Kalyan.
YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's close relative and former minister, Balineni Srinivas Reddy, former Jaggaiahpeta MLA from Krishna district, Samineni Udaya Bhanu, and former Ponnur MLA, Kilari Venkata Rosaiah, joined Jana Sena.
For their political future, they chose Jana Sena over the main opposition TDP. While Srinivas Reddy comes from a powerful social group of Reddys from combined Prakasam district, both Udaya Bhanu and Rosaiah come from a numerically strong Kapu group from Krishna and Guntur districts from the coastal Andhra belt.
While many leaders of the YSRCP who see no future for the party are at crossroads and unable to decide whether to join the TDP, Jana Sena, or national parties BJP and Congress, these leaders have taken an active plunge into Pawan Kalyan's political outfit.
Many Kapu leaders, particularly those from Godavari districts, who were considering their options, may choose to follow the path taken by Bhanu and Rosaiah. Having a stronghold in the Godavari belt, where Kapus and OBCs are equally represented, is crucial for any political party to achieve electoral success.
In this region, Pawan Kalyan secured the most seats from the TDP as part of the alliance, winning all of them with a 100 percent strike rate.
"Most of the leaders in the YSRCP don't see any future in the party, as, along with the TDP, another regional force, Jana Sena, emerged in the political landscape of Andhra Pradesh in the last elections. The question is whether there is enough space in Andhra Pradesh for three regional political parties. There are also some concerns about the TDP's survival in the post-N Chandrababu Naidu era. People, particularly those from the Kapu community, view Jana Sena as a viable alternative to these leaders in this scenario. With the charismatic Pawan Kalyan leading Jana Sena, many feel the outfit will have a bright future over YSRCP and TDP, and many are considering joining it. Jana Sena, too, needs leaders to strengthen the party at the grassroots level.
For instance, for Jana Sena, Balineni Srinivas Reddy, a senior politician, joining is a big boost in Prakasam district. Its win-win situation for the leaders and also Jana Sena,” said a political analyst.
Jana Sena had contested 21 out of the total 175 assemblies and two out of the total parliament seats in Andhra Pradesh. Jana Sena won all the assembly and Lok Sabha seats it contested.