JSP’s poor show in TS sets off debate over its prospects in AP

The Jana Sena Party (JSP), a trusted ally of the BJP in the Telangana State elections, fell significantly short of expectations. Despite contesting in eight Assembly constituencies, the JSP candidates failed to secure their deposits in seven, managing only a modest number of votes in the widely discussed Kukatpally constituency in Hyderabad. This unexpected outcome has prompted political analysts to speculate about its potential repercussions on the upcoming Andhra Pradesh elections scheduled for March 2024.
Of particular interest was the BJP-allied JSP candidate in Kukatpally, with high expectations surrounding their performance. The results in the eight contested constituencies in Telangana—Ashwaraopet, Umadevi (2,281 votes), Khammam Miryala Ramakrishna (2,281 votes), Kothagudem Surender (1,922 votes), Vira Sampath Naik (2,172 votes), Tandoor Shankar Goud (3,971 votes), Nagar Kurnool Laxman Goud (1,876 votes), Kodada Mekala Satish Reddy (1,827 votes)—revealed vote counts alarmingly close to those of NOTA. This underwhelming performance has become a topic of debate within political circles in Andhra Pradesh.
Remarkably, Jana Sena candidate Prem Kumar, who contested from Kukatpally, garnered 39,830 votes with a 15.88% vote share.
However, this fell significantly short of the anticipated support from the large number of Andhra Pradesh settlers in Kukatpally, who have historically shown favour towards the TDP.
Political experts suggest that the lacklustre showing by the JSP in Telangana could lead TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu to reconsider an alliance with JSP in Andhra Pradesh, given Pawan Kalyan’s disappointing performance.
Contrary to these speculations, sources within the TDP camp have dismissed the rumours as false and baseless. They firmly assert that the TDP-JSP alliance will endure for the 2024 polls and emerge victorious.
According to them, Pawan Kalyan enjoys significant voter support in Andhra Pradesh, emphasising that the voting patterns in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh differ. The party intends to finalise its manifesto under the joint leadership of Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan soon.