Actor and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan met with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his son, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Working President KT Rama Rao on Saturday.
The Jana Sena leader spoke with KCR and KTR during an ‘At Home’ hosted by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan at the Raj Bhavan on the occasion of Republic Day. The meeting triggered speculation in political circles in view of the upcoming elections to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and the Lok Sabha. The development is significant in the wake of KCR's plans to play a key role in Andhra Pradesh politics to damage the prospects of ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) by isolating it.
On Friday, Pawan met with leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and CPI(M) and held seat-sharing talks for the upcoming Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state. Further talks will be held in February to finalise the seat-sharing deal between the three parties. The CPI, with whom the Jana Sena is entering into a formal alliance contested against the TRS in the recently-held Telangana elections.
Following the landslide victory of TRS in the Telangana Assembly elections in December, KCR had declared that he will 'return the gift' to TDP President and Andhra Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He was referring to Naidu campaigning in Telangana, where the TDP had allied with the Telangana Congress, Telangana Jana Samithi and the CPI.
The meeting took place just a few days after KTR called on YSR Congress Party President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy to seek his support for Federal Front proposed by KCR as an alternative to the BJP and Congress. It was also announced that KCR will visit Andhra Pradesh to hold further talks with Jagan in this regard.
Pawan Kalyan, who had welcomed KCR's proposal to form the Federal Front, is planning to contest all Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh in alliance with the Left parties. He has already ruled out an alliance with TDP.
(With IANS inputs)