Telangana Polls : Pawan Kalyan meets Amit Shah in Delhi over seat-sharing

In a high-stakes meeting, Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan sat down with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on October 25th, to discuss the pivotal issue of seat-sharing in the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections, as part of their burgeoning alliance.

The stage for these talks was set earlier, when Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy and BJP OBC Morcha national president Dr K Laxman paid a visit to Pawan Kalyan at his residence in Hyderabad on October 18th.

During this meeting, the prospect of jointly contesting the Assembly elections in Telangana was fervently discussed, with the aim of channeling Andhra voters towards the BJP-Jana Sena coalition.Following this encounter, the Jana Sena, initially seemingly nonchalant about Telanganas Assembly elections, began showing a keen interest—a shift attributed to the BJPs outreach.

In their latest rendezvous, Pawan Kalyan and Amit Shah delved deep into the specifics of which constituencies the BJP and the Jana Sena would respectively target.The objective was clear: forge a mutually advantageous electoral battle.They envisioned a seat-sharing arrangement that would bolster their presence in these critical segments.

Curiously, prior to Kishan Reddy and Laxmans visit on October 18th, Pawan Kalyan had given the green light for the Telangana wing of Jana Sena to independently contest elections, seemingly without prior consultation with the BJP or their electoral ally, the TDP.Consequently, the party unveiled a list of 32 coveted seats, primarily those historically held strong by the TDP, boasting a significant Andhra population, particularly the influential Kamma community, traditionally aligned with the TDP.These constituencies were strategically located in Hyderabad, Nalgonda, and Khammam—regions where the TDPs presence still endures.While releasing the list of contested seats, the Telangana Jana Sena hinted at a potential alliance with the TDP at a later stage, awaiting Pawan Kalyans nod.Notably, no mention was made of an alliance with the BJP by the Telangana leaders.According to political analysts, the BJP took swift action and clinched the pact with Pawan Kalyan even before the TDP could finalize its stance on contesting the Telangana elections.

Though initially declaring intent to contest 87 seats, the Telangana TDP leadership now expresses reservations about participation at all.Sources suggest that TDP General Secretary Nara Lokesh has yet to release an official statement on the partys decision regarding the Telangana Assembly elections."Lokesh may arrive at a decision in the coming days," a source disclosed.

The intricate dynamics of vote-banking come into play as the bulk of seats contested by Pawan Kalyan in alliance with the BJP are those with a sizable Kamma population.The transfer of votes to the BJP-Jana Sena alliance may face skepticism due to lingering doubts among Kammas regarding the arrest of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, implicating the top echelons of the BJP in Delhi.

Given these nuances, Kamma votes could potentially sway towards the Congress, unless Pawan Kalyans presence, as the TDPs electoral ally in Andhra Pradesh, persuades Kammas that the BJP was not implicated in Naidus arrest.In this electoral chessboard, the Andhras, predominantly Kammas, may refrain from endorsing the incumbent BRS party, given perceived affinities between Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and their adversary, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Should the Jana Sena-BJP alliance successfully secure their votes, it could significantly bolster the BRSs prospects in this contest.The alliances fate will once again be at the forefront as Amit Shah visits Hyderabad on October 27th to attend the IPS officers Deekshant parade at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy.

A comprehensive understanding of how many seats the BJP is willing to allocate to Pawan Kalyan is anticipated to emerge.Early indications suggest that the BJP envisions Pawan Kalyan contesting seats near the Andhra Pradesh border, where a considerable Andhra voter base exists.

Intriguingly, these constituencies coincide with areas where the BJPs presence has been limited or absent.