Pawan Kalyan to contest Andhra Pradesh polls from Pithanpuram

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan today announced that he will contest the forthcoming Andhra Pradesh elections from Pithapuram constituency. The leader of the Jana Sena Party revealed his decision during a public gathering on Thursday. This announcement follows the recent agreement between his party, the BJP, and the TDP, led by Chandrababu Naidu, regarding seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Reacently, NDA partners in Andhra Pradesh settled on a seat-sharing formula for both the Lok Sabha and state polls. According to the arrangement, the BJP will contest six Lok Sabha and 10 assembly seats, while the TDP will vie for 17 parliamentary and 144 state seats. JanaSena, led by Pawan Kalyan, will enter the fray with two Lok Sabha and 21 assembly seats. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu confirmed this allocation after the meeting.

The negotiations, spearheaded by Senior BJP leader and Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, brought together Naidu, Kalyan, and other key figures in Amaravati to solidify the seat-sharing pact for the upcoming polls.


With 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly seats at stake, this allocation marks a significant milestone in the state's political landscape. Originally slated to contest 24 assembly and three Lok Sabha seats, JanaSena's allocation shifted to 21 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats following TDP's recent inclusion in the NDA fold.

The upcoming 2024 polls will witness the three parties contesting together for the first time, marking a departure from the 2014 scenario where TDP and BJP allied, with JanaSena as an external supporter.

Both the TDP and JanaSena have already unveiled the names of 100 candidates, with Naidu indicating that further candidate announcements are imminent.

According to sources within the TDP, efforts are underway to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an election meeting, tentatively scheduled between March 17 and 20. "We have invited Modi for the meeting, mostly he will come for the meeting, date is not yet finalized. We proposed March 17 but a day here and there, mostly Modi will be there. Between March 17 and 20 it will happen. That will be a good way to kick off the campaign. Modi, Naidu, Pawan, all together," sources disclosed.

Highlighting the potential significance of Modi's participation, another TDP source emphasized the possibility of Modi, Naidu, and Kalyan sharing a stage, a rare occurrence in the past decade.