Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan performed a special puja for his campaign vehicle 'Varahi' at Sri Anjaneya Swamy temple in Telangana on Tuesday, January 24. The Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader had darshan at the famous temple at Kondagattu in Jagtial district. Subsequently, a group of priests performed the puja for his campaign vehicle. After the rituals, the actor and politician launched the vehicle. JSP supporters garlanded the Tollywood actor, who greeted the well-wishers with folded hands from an open-top vehicle.
Earlier, the JSP leader left Hyderabad for Kondagattu in a huge convoy. He is scheduled to meet JSP leaders in Telangana at a resort near Nachupally in the evening. He will then reach Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Kshetram at Dharmapuri town to launch the darshan of 32 Narasimha Swamy kshetras.
The actor has a sentimental attachment to the region as he had a narrow escape during the election campaign in 2009 in Karimnagar district when a high-tension wire fell on his vehicle. He firmly believes that he survived because of the blessing of Kondagattu Anjaneya Swamy and decided to launch the programme from this temple.
Gearing up for the 2024 electoral battle in Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan had last month unveiled a specially designed vehicle named 'Varahi'. The campaign vehicle is equipped with high-security features, a public address system and CCTV cameras. The vehicle has been designed in a garage in Hyderabad. "Varahi is ready for election battle," the Tollywood actor had tweeted.
వారాహి అంటే దుష్టులను శిక్షించేది అని అర్థం
— JanaSena Party (@JanaSenaParty) January 24, 2023
* తెలుగు రాష్ట్రాల బంగారు భవిష్యత్తు కోసం జనసేన పోరాటం
* కొండగట్టులో వారాహి వాహనం నుంచి జనసేన అధ్యక్షులు శ్రీ పవన్ కళ్యాణ్ గారు
Link: https://t.co/eK35ZE2qmv pic.twitter.com/FXOda8EJZX
The JSP leader inspected the modified vehicle, which resembles a military bus, during a trial run in Hyderabad. The four-wheeler will be used by the JSP leader to campaign across Andhra Pradesh, where elections are due in April-May 2024.
The ‘Power star’, as the actor is popularly known, had planned to launch the state-wide tour after Dasara but it was postponed and he is now likely to embark on a visit in next few weeks. A row erupted over the colour of the vehicle after an official of Andhra Pradesh Transport Department had stated that Pawan Kalyan was not permitted to drive the olive green vehicle. The official said under the Motor Vehicle Act, olive green colour should not be used for any private vehicle except for those belonging to Army personnel.
Pawan Kalyan, who is an ally of the BJP, is working to cobble up a grand alliance against the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). He is keen to have an alliance with the BJP and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to avoid a split of anti-incumbency votes.