Pawan Kalyan to campaign for AIADMK-BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu
After the exit of K. Annamalai from the party’s top post, the BJP in Tamil Nadu seems to have found a star (campaigner) in Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan.
Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party saw a soft launch in Tamil Nadu as he delivered a speech attacking the ruling DMK and its leader M.K. Stalin during a conference on One Nation One Election (ONOE) in Chennai, on Monday.
“Today, whoever is opposing ONOE should read Karunanidhi’s argument in favour of simultaneous elections in his autobiography 'Nenjukku Needhi'. He was for simultaneous elections, while his son Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin was opposing what his father proposed. It is strange,” Kalyan said, taking a dig at Stalin.
BJP leaders, including state president Nainar Nagendran and former Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, presented him with a spear and chanted “vetrivel veeravel”—a slogan which set the tone for BJP’s growth story in the state before the 2021 assembly elections.
Sources say that Kalyan will frequent Chennai and Tamil Nadu in the run-up to the 2026 assembly elections, as the AIADMK-BJP alliance leaders look at him as a star who can help consolidate the votes of Telugu-speaking people in the state, which is close to 20 per cent. The Telugu-speaking population in the state, generally rally behind the Dravidian parties. Sources say these voters have largely favoured the DMK in the recent past. The voters favoured the AIADMK till Jayalalithaa was at the helm of affairs. The Telugu voters, who are spread across Tamil Nadu, especially in South and North Tamil Nadu, voted for actor Vijayakanth’s DMDK at one point in time.
If Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party, which also has a presence in Telangana and Karnataka, will have a presence in almost all southern states if it manages to set up a unit in Tamil Nadu, helping to pitch Kalyan as a national leader. However, consolidating the Telugu-speaking votes may not be an easy task as they are spread across the state and both the Dravidian parties have strong leaders who belong to the Naidu community.
Incidentally, Kalyan who has been warming up with the AIADMK and its leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami of late, is expected to campaign for the AIADMK-BJP alliance in Tamil Nadu. The state unit of the BJP too is keen to have Kalyan to campaign as he has a star value and is fluent in Tamil.
Sources told THE WEEK that Kalyan may not launch his party in Tamil Nadu as it might prove to be a costly affair for him. But he will frequent the state, talk politics and attack the ruling DMK.
It may be recalled that he took on Udhayanidhi Stalin when the latter spoke against Sanatana Dharma. He criticised Udhayanidhi for his comments and also went on a spiritual tour to the abodes of Lord Muruga. The BJP believes that his act of Kalyan could help them gain more votes.
India