Jana Sena Party MLA from the Polavaram Assembly constituency Chirri Balaraju appears to have become a major headache for party president and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, with the party’s image in the constituency reportedly taking a hit due to mounting controversies surrounding the legislator.
For some time, complaints have reportedly been reaching Pawan Kalyan against Balaraju, including allegations of extortion and slow development in the constituency. The MLA’s personal and family disputes have also become a concern for the Jana Sena leadership.
In the first week of June, Pawan Kalyan reportedly summoned the MLA to Amaravati and reprimanded him.
He is said to have given Balaraju a strict four-week deadline to resolve the issues and warned him against bringing disrepute to the party.
He reportedly made it clear that any action or controversy damaging the reputation of the government or the Jana Sena Party would not be tolerated.
However, sources said the situation in the constituency has not improved.
In the latest controversy, objectionable social media and WhatsApp posts targeting Balaraju’s family surfaced online.
On Thursday morning, the MLA’s wife, Jyothi, accompanied by supporters, visited the residence of Satish, Jana Sena’s mandal general secretary from Koyyalagudem, seeking an explanation over the circulation of the posts.
Satish reportedly said he had merely forwarded a message received from another person and apologised for sharing it. However, Jyothi is said to have insisted that he personally visit her residence and apologise.
Supporters accompanying Jyothi allegedly took Satish away in a vehicle. Shortly afterwards, he was brought to the Koyyalagudem Police Station.
As soon as he got out of the vehicle, Satish reportedly ran into the police station and lodged a complaint alleging that he had been assaulted.
Local Jana Sena leaders later shifted him to a private hospital for treatment.
Jyothi also visited the police station later in the day and filed a separate complaint, alleging that false and defamatory campaigns were being carried out against her family on social media.
After learning about her visit, a group of Jana Sena workers gathered outside the police station and staged a protest by sitting in front of her vehicle. They demanded action against those allegedly involved in the attack on Satish.
The protest ended after Jana Sena district president Kotikalapudi Govinda Rao assured the workers that the matter would be brought to the notice of the party leadership and that justice would be ensured.
Last week, Balaraju also made headlines after standing atop his vehicle and declaring that he would quit his post if the candidate backed by him failed to win the upcoming local body elections.
He also remarked that the era of domination by local power centres in the Polavaram constituency should come to an end.
