Actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan’s Janasena party had suffered a humiliating defeat in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh general election. Naturally, fans and Janasena sympathisers have been hoping to witness Janasena’s rise and success in the the soon-to-be-held general election. To improve his party’s chances this time around, Pawan even entered into an alliance with the main opposition party, the Nara Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party.
This morning, the much-awaited candidate announcement finally happened amid great anticipation and bated breaths. However, the seat sharing announcement seems to have only added more salt to the wounds of Pawan Kalyan fans. Of the total 118 MLA seats announced today, TDP announced its first list for 94 constituencies, while Janasena announced its candidates for 5 constituencies.
But what has hurt Pawan Kalyan fans the most is the Janasenani’s decision to accept just 24 MLA and 3 MP seats in the seat sharing agreement with Chandrababu Naidu, while the TDP has reportedly walked away with 151 MLA and 22 MP seats respectively. Fans who were expecting at least 60 MLA seats have been left dejected with such a shockingly low seat allotment.
Furthermore, Pawan Kalyan said in a media interaction ahead of the seat sharing announcement that the BJP will also join their alliance in Andhra Pradesh, and that Janasena had to sacrifice 12 seats for the BJP. “Had we won at least 10 seats last time, we could have demanded 50 seats this time,” Pawan rued.
Needless to say, fans who have been dreaming to see Pawan as the CM are unable to digest the ill treatment meted out to Janasena. Upset and angry fans are taking to social media and venting out their frustration. “It’s been 10 years since you formed Janasena. It’s better to shut or merge the party if we can’t contest in at least 60 seats on our own,” tweeted a heartbroken fan. Another fan wondered if Janasena, with such a negligible contribution, would even continue to exist in future if the TDP manages to win the majority and form the government.