Telugu film star and Jana Sena founder Pawan Kalyan will contest the April 11 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections from Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram constituencies. Gajuwaka is in Visakhapatnam district and Bhimavaram in West Godavari of Andhra Pradesh. The Pawan Kalyan-led party has fielded former IPS officer V V Lakshmi Narayana, who joined the fold two days ago, from Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha seat.
The Jana Sena’s general body chose these seats for Kalyan’s candidature after taking up an intensive survey in various constituencies. Kalyan has agreed to contest from these seats, the party’s press release said.
Kalyan’s elder brother and the founder of erstwhile Praja Rajyam Party, Chiranjeevi, had also contested from two constituencies — Palacole and Tirupati — in 2009. Chiranjeevi, however, lost Palacole but registered a victory in Tirupati. Kalyan founded the party in 2014 ahead of the general elections. Jana Sena party had supported the TDP-BJP alliance without contesting elections that year. He had campaigned with the TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and the then BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi.
The Jana Sena party, which will be making its electoral debut this election, has entered into an electoral alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Left for the April 11 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state. The party will contest on 140 Assembly seats and 18 Lok Sabha seats. The party has announced the list of candidates for 85 Assembly seats and 10 Lok Sabha seats. It also announced candidates for two Lok Sabha seats in neighbouring Telangana. Telangana will also go to polls on April 11.
Mayawati’s BSP will field candidates in three Lok Sabha and 21 seats while the two Left parties will contest seven Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats each.