AP Polls: Who is Varma and why Pawan Kalyan is banking on him in Pithapuram

Pithapuram: A statement recently made by JSP chief Pawan Kalyan has created a stir in Andhra Pradesh’s political circles.

“My victory in Pithapuram is in your hands and if I want a victory, it should be remembered forever in history,” Pawan Kalyan told TDP leader SVSN Varma during a meeting with party cadre and leaders in Pithapuram recently.

Upon hearing the statement, many were left wondering why the actor-turned-politician is so dependent on Varma for his victory in Pithapuram, even knowing he has a sizable fan base and voters from the Kapu community which may ensure his victory.

Internal rifts between TDP and JSP come to the fore

This all started almost a month ago when Pawan Kalyan announced his candidacy from Pithapuram on behalf of the TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance. The announcement came as a shock to the TDP Pithapuram constituency in-charge SVSN Varma who aspired to contest from the constituency in the upcoming Assembly elections. His followers openly declared their disapproval of the JSP supremo, regardless of any agreement, and set fire to party flags.

To end the political unrest in Pithapuram, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu called Varma and gave him assurances about the future and reportedly offered an MLC. Based on Naidu’s commitment, Varma declared he would offer Pawan his utmost support to ensure that the JSP president wins with a landslide.

“I made a vow to Chandrababu Naidu that I would continue to back Pawan Kalyan’s victory in the Pithapuram Assembly constituency. The TDP-Jana Sena-BJP cadre has already begun the election campaign for the victory of Kalyan in Pithapuram. We have decided not to allow the YSRCP to win in this constituency at any cost and discussed the strategy to be adopted to win the Assembly seat in the upcoming elections,” SVSN Varma told vernacular media.

Who is SVSN Varma?

Varma began his political career with the TDP. In the 2009 Assembly elections, he contested as an MLA for the first time on behalf of the party from Pithapuram. Vanga Geetha from the PRP defeated him.

In the 2014 elections, Varma contested as an MLA candidate for the second time as an independent after he was denied a ticket by the TDP. Varma defeated YSRCP’s Pendem Dorababu and became an MLA for the first time in 2014 with a 57 per cent vote share.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, Varma again contested as an MLA for the third time from Pithapuram and the TDP offered him a ticket during the elections. Varma was defeated by Pendem Dorababu and secured 36.67 per cent votes while Dorababu secured 44.71 percent vote share.

Overview of Pithapuram Assembly constituency

Now a Kapu stronghold, Pithapuram was ruled by Velama zamindars till independence. The constituency, which is a part of the Kakinada Lok Sabha district, was one of the 18 Assembly seats that the former Praja Rajyam Party (PRP), led by his brother and actor Konidela Chiranjeevi, won in 2009.

Vanga Geetha, the current YSRCP MP for Kakinada, was elected as an MLA in 2009 from Pithapuram on a PRP ticket. Currently, Geetha is contesting as an MLA on behalf of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) for Pithapuram in the next elections. This has made Pawan Kalyan and Geetha, two erstwhile PRP teammates, engaged in fierce competition.

However, in the constituency, the caste element appears to be a game-changer.

In the Assembly seat, Kapus form the bulk of the 2.29 lakh voters. It remains to be seen how successful Pawan Kalyan would be in building his base and defeating his political adversaries, given that the vote bank is now divided between the JSP, the YSRCP and Varma. Going by all the factors, the actor-turned-politician became reliant on the 36 per cent voter share achieved by Varma in the previous elections to register his maiden victory as an MLA.