Is Jana Sena a spent force in Andhra Pradesh? Is it now on a downward spiral with no hope of a political future? These are the doubts that one gets when seeing the results of the Eluru municipal corporation. Will the party be able to catch the imagination of the people and revive itself?
Eluru is part of the Kapu heartland and Jana Sena was expected to have a strong influence there. In fact, the twin Godavari districts are considered Jana Sena strongholds. But if the results of the Eluru Municipal Corporation are any indication, the party is in for deep trouble. The Kapus clearly have shown no confidence in Pawan Kalyan.
Out of the 34 MLA seats in the twin Godavari districts, the party could win only Razole. Even party chief Pawan Kalyan had lost from Bhimavaram assembly and Lok Sabha seat. The lone victor from Razole – Rapaka Varaprasad – is now with the YSRCP. But the party had hopes of reviving itself in the municipal elections. Eluru being Kapu citadel, Pawan had personally campaigned for the party. But the results, which were out on Sunday, showed that the people have no confidence in the Jana Sena.
Out of the 50 divisions, the YSRCP has won 47, leaving just three to the TDP. The Jana Sena had contested 20 divisions and left 16 to the BJP. The alliance could not contest even the total 50 seats. They have failed to win even a single seat. One can understand the BJP drubbing as the party does not have a base in AP. But, Jana Sena, which is supposed to have a lot of influence on Kapus, has drawn a blank.
It is clear that along with the rest of the state, even Eluru has rejected Jana Sena lock stock and barrel. Post this drubbing, there are indications that even the BJP-Jana Sena alliance might become more fragile. What will Pawan Kalyan do now?
