Used by Naidu, NDA last time; want to hit out on my own now: Pawan Kalyan

Guntur: Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan said he has no plans to play the kingmaker as he was used by Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the ruling BJP in 2014, reported NDTV.

Kalyan, who is in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati this time, said, “They want me to be the raw material for their success. They don't want me to develop on my own... why should I serve their interest?”

He said that when he met Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders after the election in 2014, he had felt he was no longer needed.

Pawan Kalyan entered politics as part of Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party and when that merged with Congress, he formed the Jana Sena in March 2014. The popular actor is Chiranjeevi’s brother.

He said this time, he was invited to join the BJP as well as Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress, but he declined both offers.

After Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and YSR Congress, Kalyan would be among the third big party battling for 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh.

Though Pawan Kalyan has tied up with Mayawati and the Left parties, he considers Jana Sena to be in the driving seat.

Jana Sena is also contesting in a few seats in Telangana, the ones believed to have a big section of voters from Andhra Pradesh.

Keep yourself updated on Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with our round-the-clock coverage -- breaking news, updates, analyses et all. Happy reading.