Ahead of the November 30 assembly elections in Telangana, the Jana Sena Party (JSP), led by actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, has forged an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has also announced the names of eight candidates who will contest the November 30 legislative assembly elections in Telangana.

While top leaders from major parties are actively campaigning for their candidates, holding rallies and roadshows across the state, Pawan Kalyan is yet to make a formal entry into the electioneering.

The Jana Sena leader lacks experience in Telangana elections. However, the Telangana BJP has indicated that Pawan Kalyan would participate in the election campaigns. Whether Kalyan will join the high-voltage assembly elections in Telangana remains unclear.

Pawan Kalyan is currently focussed on party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, where his party has tied up with the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP ahead of 2024 Assembly elections in the state. On one hand, the party leadership is deliberating on a joint manifesto for the TDP-Janasena combine but on the other hand the party cadre is fighting among themselves. Recently, the party workers clashed over an issue in Anakapalle and yesterday heated arguments were witnessed in a coordination meeting of the alliance partners in Kakinada.

Jana Sena leader has been noticeably absent from the Telangana political scene, and this has reportedly demoralised the party's candidates. Since the party lacks a political foothold in the state, the candidates feel that the party chief Pawan Kalyan should use his star power to bolster the party strength before the elections. Will the Jana Sena leader dare to participate in the election campaign for the party candidates or simply act second fiddle in an electoral alliance with the NDA partner BJP? Or will he take the lead and cut into the anti-incumbency votes in the upcoming elections?

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