Celebrations have begun for Pawan Kalyan’s many fans, followers, and family members, as the actor-politician won the Andhra Pradesh Assembly election from the Pithapuram constituency. The Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief, who is contesting the Assembly elections for the second time, has managed to win Pithapuram by a huge margin. With 1,34,394 votes, Pawan Kalyan won over YSR Congress Party (YSRCP)’s Vanga Geetha by a margin of over 70,000. Jana Sena has also managed to take over the mammoth YSRCP in terms of seat share.
As of June 4 night, Jana Sena was leading or had won in 21 seats, while YSRCP was leading only in 12. BJP was leading in 8 seats, and TDP in 134. To be recognised as the Opposition in the Assembly officially, a party needs at least 10% of the seat share – 18 seats in this case.
Pawan Kalyan’s victory comes after an intense period of campaigning and strategic alliances in the state's political landscape. Following in his elder brother, star actor, former Union Minister, and now-defunct Praja Rajyam Party founder Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan launched the Jana Sena Party in March 2014. In the 2014 election, he had supported the TDP and BJP which were in an alliance in Andhra Pradesh, but the party didn’t contest the election. The actor later distanced himself from both the BJP and TDP, charging them with backtracking on the promise of special category status to Andhra Pradesh. Before the 2019 elections, Naidu too left the NDA over the same issue.
In 2019, Pawan Kalyan allied with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), CPI, and CPI(M), but managed to win only one seat. Pawan Kalyan himself lost both the seats he contested from – Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka.
After the party’s poor performance in 2019, eventually, Pawan Kalyan joined the NDA. While the relationship between TDP and BJP remained strained for a while longer, Pawan Kalyan is credited with playing a key role in orchestrating TDP’s re-entry into NDA and the establishment of the tripartite alliance that has now decimated the YSRCP.
During his campaign trail, Pawan Kalyan’s rallies attracted substantial crowds, indicating his popularity among voters, especially among the youth. Pawan Kalyan has also emerged as the most prominent Kapu leader in the state. Another key Kapu leader, Mudragada Padmanbham, joined the YSRCP ahead of the elections but did not get a party ticket.
Pawan Kalyan’s main opponent in Pithapuram was YSRCP's Vanga Geetha, who was the incumbent MP from Kakinada.
Prior to the 2019 elections, Pawan Kalyan had announced that he was quitting films to focus on his political career. However, he eventually returned to acting, saying he needed to make money to fund his political career. Since 2019, most of his movies such as Vakeel Saab and Bheemla Nayak, alluded to his political career, projecting him as a capable leader.
Several members of the film industry including Pawan Kalyan’s close family members congratulated him on his victory.