Pawan Kalyan
Credit: Insta/pawankalyan
Chennai: With Tamil Nadu boasting a sizable Telugu population, the BJP plans to utilise Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s charisma for the 2026 assembly polls. As a soft launch, Kalyan on Monday delivered a speech on 'One Nation, One Election', terming it the “need of the hour", and appealed to DMK chief M K Stalin to reconsider his opposition to the Narendra Modi’s government’s move.
Kalyan, who is popular in Tamil Nadu, also said he was open to campaigning for the AIADMK-BJP alliance in the state if requested by the two parties.
The actor-turned-politician has been warming up to the AIADMK for the past several months by endorsing several views of its general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, which is seen as a strategic move to expand his Jana Sena party in the state.
However, sources told DH that Kalyan is, for now, only testing the waters and does not have a definitive plan for a political plunge in Tamil Nadu.
“He believes he can prove his strength by campaigning for the AIADMK-BJP combine. He is very fluent in Tamil and did his schooling here. He will be an asset to the alliance, especially in areas where the Telugu population could tilt votes,” a BJP leader said.
Kalyan was also recently in the news for his criticism of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin regarding the latter’s comments on Sanatana Dharma. He also went on a spiritual tour to the abodes of Lord Murugan, the Tamil god, recently, which the BJP believes could work to its advantage.
Strongly defending the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, Kalyan said about 800 days are spent every five years fighting elections alone, which puts a severe drain on financial resources.
“We are caught up in a cycle of election processes. Electoral stability is very important for the country’s growth. I request Stalin to rethink and recall his opposition to 'One Nation, One Election'. Stalin should remember that his father, M Karunanidhi, supported simultaneous elections to state assemblies and the Lok Sabha,” Kalyan added.