HBD Pawan Kalyan: A Comeback Story For Ages!

The last time a film star was super successful in Andhra Pradesh politics was when senior NTR became the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in a span of nine months after launching Telugu Desam. And after several decades, it was the turn of Pawan Kalyan to replicate something similar albeit to a lesser capacity. 

After having lost the 2019 election badly, Kalyan scripted the kind of comeback that we only seen political thriller films. He went from losing both Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram himself to leading his party to a remarkable 21/21 seats win in 2024 with 100% strike rate. 

On the occasion of his birthday, September 2, here is a look at the kind of historic comeback that was scripted by Kalyan, who led not just JSP, but also played a crucial role in cementing the NDA alliance. 

Kalyan was the first to respond when Chandrababu Naidu was arrested under questionable circumstances by the previous Jagan government. While people were fearing to even question Jagan, it was Pawan Kalyan, who stepped out briefly and stood by Babu when I mattered the most.

This daring approach from Kalyan was what cemented the NDA alliance in the first place which eventually became super consolidated and went on to sweep power in the 2024 election.

The best thing about Kalyan is his determination and perseverance of top quality. It would have been very easy for him to shut down his party after the 2019 debacle where Pawan Kalyan himself ended up closing from two constituencies. 

But considering the kind of strong will that Kalyan has, he stood firm and fought at the very place where he badly lost. He was not dejected by the public mandate in 2019, and firmly believed that he can create history if he can hold fort till 2024. Then came the golden opportunity with the horrible misrule of Jagan. 

This was precisely when Pawan played a crucial role in bringing together, TDP and BJP, which were not necessarily in great terms. Then materialised the NDA alliance under the senior leadership of Chandrababu and aggressive branding of Kalyan. And the rest is history.

The easier choice for Kalyan would have been to continue doing films where he already enjoyed superstar status and had luxurious amenities. But he wanted to be with the public, and this noble intention made him what he is today.

Today, Kalyan stands to be one of the most dynamic and powerful politicians, not just in Andhra Pradesh, but across the country. It has reached a point where BJP is actively using Kalyan, even for election campaigns in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, and others.  

This really is a comeback story for the ages as Kalyan did something remarkable in Andhra Pradesh politics, which have always been a tough nut to crack. And the future is looking even brighter as he can go and to get stronger from here.