Pawan Kalyan has announced that Jana Sena will contest in Telangana elections

Jana Sena President and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan addresses reporters at her Jubilee Hills residence in Hyderabad on Tuesday (June 2, 2026). | Photo credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR

Jana Sena Party (JSP) president and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday (June 2, 2026) dramatically announced that his party will contest the Telangana Assembly elections in 2029, turning a denied public meeting into a political flashpoint.

Addressing a press conference from his Jubilee Hills residence, Mr. Pawan Kalyan strongly asserted that JSP will not back down from Telangana. He dared his opponents to “touch him”, likening their threats to the intimidation he faced from the YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh. “Is Telangana your jagir? I will stay here, you can come and attack me,” he declared, insisting that his love for Telangana was long-standing and not politically opportunistic.

He questions the opposition to his entry into Telangana

The JSP chief accused Congress leaders of indulging in divisive rhetoric and urged the Center to intervene. He said the way his critics targeted him required national attention because such comments were intended to create divisions among people. He demanded accountability from Congress leaders and asked how they could prevent him from entering Telangana when leaders like Indira Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi contested without controversy from constituencies outside their home states.

Targets Congress, praises KCR

In a carefully worded speech to coincide with the Telangana Formation Day celebrations, Mr. Pawan Kalyan targeted the Congress party while praising Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) founder K. Chandrashekhar Rao, notably avoiding any mention of the BJP. He hit out at Congress leaders for standing up to him “tooth and nail” and demanded answers to remarks made by some Congress voices praising Pakistan during televised debates.

It points to the targeting of people hailing from Andhra

Mr. Pawan Kalyan also expressed displeasure at the repeated targeting of people of Andhra origin. “How long will you abuse the Andhra people? If they were unwelcome, how would they live here?” he asked. He clarified that he was not against Telangana itself, but against the manner in which bifurcation was done behind closed doors in Parliament in 2014. He reiterated that the JSP would be the first to raise its voice if Telangana was betrayed and emphasized that his affection for the state was born out of genuine love and attachment and not votes.

Commenting on the controversy over political analyst K. Nageshwar’s remarks, the JSP leader clarified that though party cadres reacted strongly, he personally had no role in the FIRs filed. He disputed the allegations about his estate, vowed to hand it over to the government if it was found to be illegal and paid tribute to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

He recalled his association with the late revolutionary balladeer Gaddar and criticized the parties for ignoring him when he suffered a bullet injury. He used the opportunity to highlight JSP’s donation of crores to the Kondagattu temple in Jagtial district, emphasizing his respect for Telangana culture. He recalled that JSP was born in Telangana and the youth leaders were active since 2007-08. He noted that while his entry into politics was opposed in Andhra Pradesh, the people of Telangana welcomed his Varahi Yatra with open arms.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan insisted that JSP will never be intimidated by threats or criticism. “If I was scared, would I even start a party in Hyderabad?” he asked. He emphasized that even if the detractors cursed him, “Telangana will remain in my heart.” He compared the current intimidation to the YSRCP threats in Andhra Pradesh and said they were much more serious.

At the end of his 50-minute press conference, Mr. Pawan Kalyan declared that the Jana Sena will contest the Telangana Assembly elections in 2029 and will continue to expand its presence across the state.

Jai Telangana!
Jai Bharat!
Jai Hind!

Glory! to our motherland Bharat!

— Pawan Kalyan (@PawanKalyan) June 2, 2026

Published – 02 Jun 2026 18:19 IST