As the political atmosphere in Andhra Pradesh begins to heat up ahead of the forthcoming local body elections, differences over seat-sharing within the ruling alliance have emerged as a major point of discussion among Jana Sena Party leaders and cadres.
The three alliance partners, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena Party and Bharatiya Janata Party, have been holding coordination committee meetings to work out an arrangement for the distribution of seats in the local elections.
Jana Sena leaders have previously indicated that the 2024 Assembly election seat-sharing formula may not necessarily be repeated in the local body elections. They have maintained that the party would seek to contest in areas where it has organisational and electoral strength.
Against this backdrop, the latest comments made by Jana Sena Political Affairs Committee chairman and state minister Nadendla Manohar in Visakhapatnam triggered unrest among sections of the party cadre.
Some party workers expressed their objections on social media, questioning whether Jana Sena would be restricted to a limited number of seats despite its organisational expansion.
Speaking at a Jana Sena Atmeeya Samavesam held in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, Manohar said the party should seek only those seats where it has a realistic chance of winning.
He urged party workers to focus on achieving a 100 per cent strike rate rather than demanding a larger number of seats merely because there are more aspirants.
“Let us not demand numbers such as 60, 70 or even all 120 seats simply because there are many aspirants within the party,” he said.
Manohar said Jana Sena was a responsible political party and that elections should be fought with a clear strategy rather than in haste.
His remarks reportedly disappointed sections of the Visakhapatnam Jana Sena organisation, particularly aspirants who had been preparing to contest the local elections.
The number of wards in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is set to increase from 98 to 120.
The proposed expansion had generated considerable enthusiasm among Jana Sena leaders and ticket aspirants, with many hoping that the party would get an opportunity to contest a larger number of wards.
Several second-rung leaders and aspirants had reportedly begun preparations at the grassroots level and were spending money on local programmes in the expectation of securing party tickets.
Manohar’s comments have now raised questions within the party over the extent of Jana Sena’s participation in the GVMC elections.
Some local leaders have expressed concern over whether the party would have to limit itself to the seats allocated to it as part of the alliance arrangement.
The remarks have also triggered a debate among aspirants over Jana Sena’s negotiating position in the seat-sharing process.
There is also speculation that Pawan Kalyan was unhappy with Manohar’s comments.
Within hours of the remarks, Pawan appointed Kandla Durgesh as the coordinator of the party’s campaign committee for the upcoming municipal, panchayat and other local body elections.
Pawan Kalyan also reached Rajamahendravaram for a two-day visit to the Pithapuram constituency and convened a state-level party meeting in Kakinada on September 22.
The meeting assumes significance as Pawan Kalyan seeks to refocus attention on party affairs ahead of the local body polls.
The leadership is expected to issue directions to the cadre on election preparedness and grassroots-level activities.
Discussions are likely to cover constituency-wise organisational strength, local political conditions and the preparations required for the elections.
