Popular Telugu actors and first cousins Allu Arjun and Ram Charan took part in the final day of the election campaign in Andhra Pradesh. While both the young actors are related to Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, party loyalties seem to have led them down different paths. Ram Charan stood beside his paternal uncle Pawan Kalyan in Pithapuram, while Allu Arjun supported YSRCP’s Nandyal candidate and his close friend Silpa Ravichandra Kishore Reddy.
While Allu Arjun, popular across India for his Pushpa franchise, also has familial ties to Pawan Kalyan, he did not campaign for the Jana Sena and instead supported the YSRCP. Arjun’s paternal aunt Konidela Surekha is married to Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan’s elder brother.
The Nandyal district, where Arjun participated in campaigning, was carved out of the erstwhile Kurnool district in Rayalaseema, a region of Andhra Pradesh well known as a YSRCP stronghold. Pithapuram on the other hand, where Ram Charan was present, currently falls under the Kakinada district and was a part of erstwhile East Godavari, a belt with the concentration of several members of the forward caste Kapu community to which both Ram Charan and Pawan Kalyan belong.
Allu Arjun greeted thousands of fans alongside his wife Allu Sneha Reddy from Shilpa Kishore’s residence. Earlier, he had extended his support to Pawan Kalyan on social media, and amid speculations of his endorsement of the YSRCP, Arjun clarified that he had no political connections but was merely helping his friend Shilpa Kishore out.
Meanwhile, Ram Charan, accompanied by Allu Arjun's father Allu Aravind, and Chiranjeevi’s wife Konidela Surekha, landed at the Rajahmundry airport to bolster Pawan Kalyan’s campaign. The family visited the Kukkuteswara Swamy temple for prayers before joining the Jana Sena campaign trail.
Andhra Pradesh will be voting in the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly elections on May 13 simultaneously.