When he announced Jana Sena Party at a meeting here on March 14, Pawan Kalyan raised eyebrows and also raised the hopes of a number of aspirants who wanted to test the political waters. However, very soon, he dashed their dreams by announcing that he would not field any candidate on the banner of his party, but instead support the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
After the tie-up between the BJP and the TDP and the latter’s entry into the National Democratic Alliance was formalised, the star said he was opposing the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance and that it would be logical for him to support the NDA’s constituents. Then came the missive from Mr. Modi’s office and soon a campaign plan was chalked out.
Starting from sharing the dais with Mr. Modi at Nizamabad and Hyderabad on April 25, he drew the crowds like moths to a flame at nine other meetings he addressed together with the contesting candidates. He toured Maheswaram, LB Nagar, Sanatnagar, Musheerabad and Amberpet till April 27, seemingly unmindful of the scorching heat. On Monday, when campaign came to a close, he addressed mammoth gatherings at Kamareddy, Koruntla and Nalgonda.
ADVERTISEMENT
Interestingly, while he targeted the Congress on March 14, during the course of the campaign it was like he was well versed with the way of politics. He slammed TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao and even threatened to ‘skin him alive’, much to the delight of his delirious fans as much as it was to supporters of the BJP and TDP bang in the heart of Telangana.