The high expectations of the Kapu community to see Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan as the next chief minister of Andhra Pradesh have been completely shattered with the power star settling for a meagre 21 assembly seats in the 175-member state assembly as part of alliance with Telugu Desam Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Jana Sena Party chief has claimed that he had to sacrifice his political career in order to prevent anti-incumbency vote in the state and see that the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government is pulled down.
After initial protests, the Kapus have reconciled to the fact that Pawan Kalyan did not have confidence in himself and hence, he had compromised with the TDP and the BJP. Yet, they want to see him enter the assembly and make a mark for himself.
Now, the latest demand from the Kapu community is that if not the chief minister post, the Jana Sena Party chief should demand at least the home minister post, if the alliance comes to power in the state.
Former MP and Kapu-Balija Samkshema Sena president Chegondi Harirama Jogaiah wrote yet another letter to Jana Sena Party that if there was a respectable transfer of Kapu votes to the alliance, the TDP chief should declare Pawan Kalyan as the prospective home minister with deputy CM rank.
He reminded that in 2019 elections, YSRCP had won 151 assembly and 22 Lok Sabha seats with a vote share of 51 percent, including 20 percent votes from BCs, 16 percent from SC/STs, eight percent from Kapus, five percent from Reddys and two percent of other communities.
“After Pawan Kalyan entered the scene and took up state-wide Vaarahi yatra in the last two years, the Kapu vote share of YSRCP came down from eight to five percent; and the overall vote share fell from 51 to 46 percent. At the same time, the vote share of TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance went up to 54 percent, including eight percent of Kapu votes,” Jogaiah explained.
He said if the Kapu votes have to be transferred to the alliance partners, there should be respectable power sharing agreement between the TDP and Jana Sena, including key positions.
“Pawan Kalyan should be given No. 2 position in the government if the alliance comes to power. He should be given the home minister portfolio. A confidence to this effect should be created among the Kapu voters and general voters as well,” the former MP said.