Second rung leadership a worry for JSP in Tirupati district

TIRUPATI Lack of a proper second rung leadership in Tirupati district seems to have become a major concern for Jana Sena Party (JSP), particularly when it has laid out ambitious plans for itself in the 2024 assembly elections in the state.

Top JSP leadership, which interacted with party leaders from Tirupati and other segments in the district recently, is reported to have inquired about the party prospects in the district. Thorough brainstorming revealed that no concrete work has been done by district JSP leaders or cadre to strengthen the party at the grass-root level.

Evidently, the existing district leadership is only banking on its founder and chief Pawan Kalyan to cross swords with the ruling party and emerge victorious. Except for a list of familiar faces who had been in the electoral fray in 2019 election and subsequent panchayat polls, JSP’s Tirupati district unit has no popular names.

Last year, JSP could file nominations only in two of total 50 divisions in Tirupati civic body polls, despite the party having considerable support in Tirupati, where over a third of the population is from Balija community. Even in the two seats the party did not do well, though in the 33rd division, party’s woman candidate gave a tough fight to the ruling party.

While YSRC and TDP are trying to outdo each other in their outreach programmes, JSP cadre of the region are visible only by their absence. More so in Tirupati, where JSP leaders are mostly confining themselves to holding press conferences. They are not going into public or holding anti-government meetings or protests on various issues. It is clear that district JSP leaders are depending merely on Balija votes, rather than roping in the electorate from other communities too.

Party sources told Deccan Chronicle that this has annoyed the party leadership. It hauled up the leaders present at the meeting and categorically stated that they will have to raise their preparedness for the next assembly elections. The leaders were advised to mobilise people in a major way on October 5, Vijayadashami Day, when JSP president Pawan Kalyan is launching his state-wide tour from Tirupati to highlight the failures of YSRC government.

The film actor-turned-politician’s yatra will cover all 175 assembly constituencies, so that JSP is able to snatch the maximum number of seats from the YSRC party.