Pawan Kalyan admits feeling 'jealous' of Vijay's political success
What's the story
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Janasena party founder, Pawan Kalyan, recently admitted to feeling "jealous" of Tamil Nadu's new Chief Minister Vijay for his meteoric political success. Speaking at a public event on Monday, he reflected on his 15-year political journey and expressed envy over how effortlessly things changed in Tamil Nadu politics.
Political insights
'I have been wandering the streets for 15 years'
Addressing his party members, Kalyan said, "I look at Tamil politics these days; they've done it so carefree. I felt jealous. They won using cutouts and holograms happily." He then added, "I have been wandering the streets for 15 years." The actor-turned-politician explained that managing a political party involves uniting countless people and that starting a party to change society was a huge gamble. "We can't even get our own family members to agree on a single thing," he added.
Political perspective
Politics in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu cannot be compared
Earlier this month, at an event in Amaravati, Kalyan had said that politics in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu cannot be compared. He had defended his alliance-based approach for Andhra Pradesh, even if it took longer to yield results. His party Janasena was founded in 2014 and won just one seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Despite initial struggles, Kalyan has built his party into a serious political force over the years.
Political triumph
Vijay's political journey so far
Vijay, who also transitioned from acting to politics, saw his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), achieve a landmark victory in the recent Tamil Nadu assembly election. Launched in 2024, TVK won 108 seats and became the dominant party in two years, ending decades of dominance by the Dravidian parties DMK and AIADMK. This led to Vijay becoming Chief Minister of the southern state.