In Kakinada, Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan mentioned that he would run for Lok Sabha polls from Kakinada if Amit Shah requested him to, upsetting TDP, his alliance partner. Earlier, he had planned to contest from Pithapuram for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections.
On Tuesday, Pawan Kalyan nominated Uday Srinivas Tangella as the JSP Lok Sabha candidate from Kakinada but mentioned that he might switch with him if the Centre wanted him to contest in the Lok Sabha polls. This did not sit well with TDP’s Pithapuram constituency incharge, former MLA SVSN Varma.
Varma expressed his discontent and declared that if Pawan Kalyan decided to switch from Assembly to Lok Sabha polls, he would step in and contest as an MLA from Pithapuram. His supporters caused chaos in Pithapuram by burning TDP flexis and banners on March 14, 2024, after Pawan’s announcement.
Later, Varma met with Chandrababu Naidu to assure him that he would support the alliance and work towards ensuring Pawan Kalyan’s victory despite not receiving a ticket himself. In the midst of this, Kakinada MP and YSRCP Pithapuram candidate Vanga Geetha criticized Pawan Kalyan for suggesting that she run as a JSP candidate.
Pawan Kalyan had suggested Geetha should contest under JSP since she had previously won on a Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) ticket in 2009. Geetha responded by questioning what would happen if she also invited Pawan to YSRCP, highlighting her political experience and the support she has from constituents.
