Jana Sena Party (JSP) Chief Pawan Kalyan along with TDP Chief N Chandrababu Naidu (Image: PTI)
Pawan Kalyan is rumoured to take over as a Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan had everyone’s attention this election season. The actor-turned-politician contested in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from the Pithapuram Assembly and won the seat. Kalyan, who is the head of Jana Sena Party, defeated YSR Congress Party rival Vanga Geetha by over 70,000 votes. This is Kalyan’s first political win, hinting that this is just the beginning. With Chandrababu Naidu all set to take the oath as AP Chief Minister, there are rumours doing the rounds that Kalyan is eyeing the Deputy CM’s post.
If he does emerge as the Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh, it was historic. But how did he reach this far? Take a look at his journey:
Pawan Kalyan’s Filmography:
Pawan Kalyan, formally known as Konidela Kalyan Babu, made his acting debut in 1996 with Akkada Ammayi Ikkada Abbayi. The film was an official remake of Aamir Khan’s Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. While the film gave a glimpse of his actress prowess, it was his film with director A Karunakaran, Tholi Prema (1999). The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and six Nandi Awards that year.
The actor, who is the brother of Telugu stars Chiranjeevi and Nagendra Babu, is known for his martial arts and starred in several films, including Gokulamlo Seeta (1997), Suswagatham (1998), Thammudu (1999), Kushi (2001), Balu (2005), Jalsa (2008), Gabbar Singh (2012), Attarintiki Daredi (2013), Gopala Gopala (2015), and Vakeel Saab (2021), to name a few. He starred in Bro last year.
Pawan Kalyan’s Political Career:
Pawan began his political journey in 2008. He was the president of the youth wing of Praja Rajyam Party, called Yuvarajyam. The party was started by his brother, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi. Although Kalyan was deeply invested in the party and was eyeing a win at the elections, he had pump the breaks on his political career due to his health condition.
He emerged again in 2014 and this time, he started a new political party called the Jana Sena Party (JSP). In 2019, Pawan Kalyan contested for the first time and was met with massive disappointment. The JSP chief contested from Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram constituencies but lost in both. Kalyan lost to YSRCP leader T Nagireddy in the Gajuwaka seat by over 16,000 votes. In Bhimavaram, he lost to Grandhi Srinivas of YSRCP by over 8,000 votes.
Pawan Kalyan’s Political Plans:
In Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP) manifesto, which he released with N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP), featuring several promises. Both parties promised several facilities for women. These include “free bus travel and monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,500 to women aged 18-59 years.”
They promised three free gas cylinders to each household every year. They have also promised an unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 per month. The political party promised to give Rs 15,000 to every school-going student via their ‘Thalliki Vandhanam’ scheme. Given that Pithapuram is an agricultural constituency, the two parties have also come up with several beneficial plans for the farmers.
