Don't compare me with neighbouring state movie star who became CM: Andhra Pradesh Dy CM Pawan Kalyan

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena supremo Pawan Kalyan on Friday pushed back against comparisons being drawn between him and Tamil Nadu actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay without naming him directly.

Speaking to party cadres at Jana Sena's headquarters in Mangalagiri, Pawan Kalyan said that a person from a neighbouring state who launched a party and became Chief Minister was being used as a yardstick against him. He dismissed the comparison and stressed that the political conditions in Andhra Pradesh are unique and cannot be mapped onto those of any other state.

He recalled the bruising lessons of 2019, when he lost from both seats he personally contested and watched many of his closest allies walk away in the aftermath. Turning to the opposition YSRCP, he urged its leaders to abandon campaigns built on irrelevant and mismatched comparisons. He invoked the example of the Communist parties, which he said built enduring organisations by absorbing blow after blow over decades. Running a political party, he reminded his audience, is far harder than it looks.

Reflecting on his own trajectory, Pawan Kalyan described the decade between 2007 and 2018 as a period of sustained struggle. "Nothing comes without hardship," he said, noting that by 2024 Jana Sena had earned its place in government. He made clear that he had kept the party moving forward even during its darkest moments, when he was largely on his own. He appealed to his workers to rise to the occasion, saying he looks to the grassroots to produce the strong, committed leadership the party needs and suggested not to draw comparisons.

The striking electoral debut of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Joseph Vijay has sent ripples well beyond Tamil Nadu, igniting a lively debate in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh about the sharply contrasting political journeys of two of South India's most celebrated film icons.

Both Vijay and Pawan Kalyan command enormous fan followings among the youth of their respective states, and both made the leap from the silver screen to the political arena. Yet the paths they chose and the outcomes those paths delivered could scarcely be more different.

When Pawan Kalyan launched Jana Sena and entered electoral politics for the first time in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, the results were sobering. He lost from both seats he personally contested, and of the 140 constituencies Jana Sena fielded candidates in, only Razole returned a victory. By 2024, he had recalibrated his strategy entirely. Playing a pivotal role in forging an unlikely alliance between the TDP and the BJP, Pawan Kalyan led Jana Sena into 21 seats and won all 21, a flawless strike rate by any measure.

Vijay, three years younger than Pawan Kalyan and considerably more junior in political experience, took a starkly different road. Despite reported pressure from national parties, including the BJP, to enter a pre-poll alliance, he stood firm and went it alone. The gamble paid off spectacularly. TVK's debut has dealt a serious blow to both the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK, catapulting Vijay into the Chief Minister's post and sending shockwaves through Tamil Nadu's deeply entrenched political establishment.