Why did Pawan choose the third option?

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan had given three options to the party rank and file a couple of weeks ago, when he addressed them at the party office in Mangalagiri. He told them that the party has three options before it ahead of the 2024 general elections.

The first option was that the Jana Sena with the BJP forming the government. The second option was to have an alliance with BJP and TDP and the three parties forming the government. The third option was to go alone in the elections and form the government all alone.

He seems to have tried to lobby with the BJP leadership to take the TDP along to defeat the ruling YSR Congress. In fact, he had offered to work for the reunion of the TDP and BJP to ensure that the anti-incumbency vote is not divided. Accordingly, he must have tried browsing the issue with the BJP leaders and failed to get a positive response.

Sources say that the BJP is not interested in defeating Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy at this point of time. The top leadership of the BJP is in favour of defeating the TDP and thus taking its leaders. This would help the BJP to strengthen its base in the state and get ready for the 2029 general elections.

This strategy of the BJP must have irked Pawan Kalyan to announce that the Jana Sena would go alone in the next elections. The Jana Sena chief said that the party would have an alliance only with the people and not with any party. He made this statement in Prakasam district on Sunday to the surprise of everyone.

The other reason for Pawan Kalyan to say that there would be no alliance is to give a warning to the TDP, which has been indifferent to him since the success of the party’s Mahanadu in Ongole in the month of May. The success of the Mahanadu had changed the approach of the TDP leaders from top to bottom and most of them are confident of returning to power in the 2024 elections all alone.

This changed attitude of the TDP leaders could have been the other reason for the Jana Sena chief to make the announcement. Whatever could be the reason, it is for sure that the Jana Sena would lose heavily if it goes alone for the election. It would also prove that Pawan Kalyan had failed to bring the opposition parties together and ensure that the anti-incumbency vote is not split.