Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan has expressed his desire to become the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. He cited the example of HD Kumaraswamy, who became Chief Minister of Karnataka with just 30 assembly seats. Pawan said that if his party, Jana Sena Party (JSP), had won 40 seats in the 2019 elections, he too would have demanded to be made Chief Minister.
Pawan made it clear that he would not ask the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) or Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to make him the Chief Minister. He said he would show his strength and ask for the position.
In the 2019 elections, JSP won just one seat in the 175-member Assembly, and Pawan lost both the seats he had contested from. He said that JSP is looking to form an alliance with major parties to end the rule of YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Pawan said that JSP is looking to have alliances with major parties to prevent the split of anti-incumbency votes in the next elections. The party is already in an alliance with the BJP and is keen to rope in TDP, the main opposition party in the state assembly, to form a grand alliance.
Pawan said that JSP will take a decision on alliances keeping in view only the state’s interests. He claimed that the JSP’s position has strengthened compared to the past. In 2019, JSP contested 137 assembly seats and secured 7% votes. In some constituencies, the party polled 20-30 % votes.
Pawan said that if elections are advanced, he will begin field work from June. He also remarked that he will be happy if strong parties come with him to check the YSRCP.
