When the matinee idol of the Telugu film industry, Konidela Pawan Kalyan — fondly called PK — launched his political party, Jana Sena Party (JSP), in March 2014, political pundits had written him off as a ‘political novice.’ They even went so far as to claim that he, like his elder brother K. Chiranjeevi, would fade away within a few years.
Chiranjeevi, a superstar in Tollywood, had burned his fingers by launching his own political party, Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), in August 2008, only to later merge his party with the Congress.
But Mr. Pawan proved them wrong. Not only did he hold on to his party, but he has also become a force to reckon with — today, not just in Andhra Pradesh’s political landscape, but at the national level, as his party is a key alliance partner of the NDA at the Centre.
Today, Mr. Pawan is the Deputy Chief Minister of the State. However, it appears he is losing his grip over the party. In a recent ‘Senatho Senani’ meeting with party workers in Visakhapatnam, he candidly expressed his dissatisfaction with the party’s cadres and leaders, vowing to personally steer it forward from here.
From a political rookie, Mr. Pawan has grown into a politician with a purpose. His clean image still helps him maintain unity within the party and gain political mileage in A.P.’s political fabric.
However, there is growing concern that since he won the elections and became Deputy CM, Mr. Pawan has distanced himself from the party activists and leaders. Reports of intra-party tensions and dissatisfaction among the cadres are on the rise. There is a sense of quiet discontent among the once-vocally supportive ranks. Many have voiced frustration over delays in local appointments, being sidelined in coalition politics, and the lack of representation. There is also serious concern regarding the dominance of the alliance over JSP. Some even question Mr. Pawan’s assertiveness in governance, amidst the opinion that he is playing second fiddle to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
But PK seems to have understood the message early and is now on a mission to reorganise and restructure his party. He admitted in the meeting that due to over concentration on governance, he had been forced to distance himself from party activities. However, he assured that things would change in the coming days.
A senior leader of his party also agreed with Mr. Pawan’s assessment. He explained that since they had come to power for the first time and the party was new to governance, it took some time to understand the complexities of managing a State.
Over the past 10 years, since Mr. Pawan launched his party, he has led it from the front despite numerous setbacks. He has demonstrated resilience by staying true to his ideals and fighting hard. In 2014, Mr. Pawan did not contest in the elections, despite supporting the NDA alliance of TDP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2019, he contested alone and suffered a crushing defeat, losing from both constituencies where he had stood.
But in the 2024 elections, he turned the tide. After solidifying the NDA alliance with BJP and TDP, he launched a vigorous campaign against YSR Congress Party’s (YSRCP)Jagan Mohan Reddy, achieving a 100 percent strike rate. He won all 21 MLA seats from where his party had contested, as per the seat-sharing agreement, as well as two MP seats.
However, in the past year, a sense of insecurity has crept in. The cadres have been particularly unhappy with the allocation ratio of various nominated and quasi-judicial posts. There is a feeling of being left out, despite being in the alliance. While the upper echelons of the alliance appear to maintain good relations, there is simmering conflict at the mid and lower levels.
Now, Mr. Pawan is on a mission to rejuvenate and revive the moral strength of the cadre. He has made it clear that the alliance will remain intact, and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) will not be allowed to make a comeback. He is actively working to reorganise and restructure the party along these lines.
At the Visakhapatnam meeting, Mr. Pawan officially declared that he would focus on strengthening his party at from the grassroots level. He has set a target to complete this process by March 2026, making it clear that the cadre base is his strength and that there will be no room for complacency at any level.
It seems that Mr. Pawan understands that he has a big task on hand. Now is the time for him to re-engage with the cadres and activists, ramp up his visible participation in governance, and assert JSP’s distinct identity within the alliance.
Published – September 15, 2025 12:58 am IST
