For quite some time, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been periodically reviewing the performance of his party MLAs, the public perception about them and their participation in the government programmes.
Based on the regular surveys through IVRS method, party intelligence and state intelligence reports, he has been pulling them up many of them for their non-performance collectively and individually and suggesting steps to improve their performance.
He even warned that he will hesitate to discard the non-performing MLAs in the next elections.
However, there has been no such attempt from Jana Sena Party president and deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan.
The reason, according to analysts, is that while Naidu has the political will to see that the party comes back to power again in the next elections and he becomes the CM again.
But Pawan Kalyan doesn’t seem to have that will power. His repeated public statements that Andhra Pradesh should continue under the TDP-led alliance for another 15 years clearly indicate that he has no intention to come to power on his own.
Obviously, the party workers are frustrated that Pawan is not even attempting to build the party into an independent, influential force. Instead, he openly commits to long-term alliance with TDP, which leaders and grassroots workers feel sidelines their own aspirations.
“While Pawan speaks of coalition unity, he remains largely inactive in engaging with his own MLAs. This is a matter of concern for the party,” the analyst said.
During a cabinet meeting in Amaravati on Wednesday, CM Chandrababu Naidu revealed that he had already personally met with 24 TDP MLAs to review their progress. He suggested that Pawan Kalyan and BJP leaders should similarly meet their respective legislators.
“Obviously, Naidu needs the support of Pawan Kalyan and BJP in the next elections, too, to keep the YSR Congress party away. This will happen only if Pawan strengthens his party and see that all his 21 MLAs get re-elected,” he said.
But Naidu’s advice to Pawan to focus on Jana Sena Party affairs and periodically review the performance of the Jana Sena MLAs has also given the impression that Pawan operates entirely under Chandrababu’s direction.
They also point out that Pawan has rarely convened meetings with his own MLAs since taking office.
“Some Jana Sena MLAs face serious corruption allegations, similar to those levelled against certain TDP legislators. Yet, unlike Naidu, Pawan never warned or reprimanded his party’s MLAs over these charges,” the analyst said.
Political observers are watching closely to see if Pawan will now meet his MLAs following Chandrababu’s advice — and whether such action would change perceptions about his leadership.
