Seeking to emerge as a potent third force in the state, the Jana Sena of Telugu film star Pawan Kalyan has teamed up with the Bahujan Samaj party, the CPI and the CPI-M for the April 11 polls to Lok Sabha and the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.
On a day of hectic political activity, the Jana Sena Sunday afternoon finalised seat-sharing with the BSP and later with the Left parties.
Accordingly, the Jana Sena will contest 140 out of 175 assembly and 18 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats.
BSP has been given three Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly seats, CPI and CPI-M two Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats each, as part of the agreement, Kalyan announced.
The MP and MLA game has become so expensive that we had to take some courageous decisions to contest and change the system. We have put an end to this bizarre money politics somewhere. We are happy to allot four Lok Sabha seats to the Left parties, Kalyan told a press conference.
CPI-M state secretary P Madhu said their objective was to introduce a new politics in the state by breaking the hegemony of the TDP and the YSR Congress.
Ours is a very good combination that is coming before the people. We will unitedly confront the Congress and the BJP as well, he added.
This was a new effort to "emerge as a potent third force in the state", the former MP said.
CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna and Sena leader Nadendla Manohar were also present.
As per the agreement, CPI-M will get Kurnool and Nellore Lok Sabha seats while CPI Anantapuramu and Kadapa seats.
The BSP has been allotted SC reserved Lok Sabha seats -- Chittoor, Tirupati and Bapatla.
At a separate event at the Jana Sena office, Kalyan said he wished to see BSP chief Mayawati as the Prime Minister.
Kalyan had met Mayawati in Lucknow two days ago.
BSP senior leader and Rajya Sabha member Veer Singh came to Vijayawada Sunday to formalise the alliance with the Sena.
Many could not appreciate her personality and greatness. Country needs a strong leader like Mayawati as Prime Minister. This is the wish of crores of people and mine too, Kalyan told reporters.
A few years ago he was asked to be the BSP AP unit president but he could not oblige because of the then political situation, the Sena chief said.
Veer Singh said AP needed a Chief Minister like Pawan Kalyan, saying he was aiming to usher in a social change.
Mayawati would tour Amalapuram on April 3 and Tirupati the next day and then go to Hyderabad, he said.
The Jana Sena said its alliance with BSP would extend to April 11 Lok Sabha elections in neighbouring Telangana as well but did not specify the seats each would contest.
Meanwhile, former IPS officer V Lakshmi Narayana joined the Jana Sena, ending speculation about his political moves.
Narayana shot into fame as the then Joint Director of CBI in AP, who led the probe into the Jaganmohan Reddy disproportionate assets case.
A Maharashtra cadre officer, he took voluntary retirement late last year and toyed with the idea of floating his own political outfit.
There was speculation that the ruling TDP might field him as a candidate from Visakhapatnam district.
Narayana met Pawan Kalyan after midnight Saturday and formally joined the Sena on Sunday at a function in the party office here.
Former Vice-Chancellor of Sri Krishna Devaraya University Rajagopal, a close relative of Narayana, also joined the Sena.
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