In a rare moment of unfiltered honesty, AP’s Deputy CM told reporters he has “no scope” to come to power even in his own state — and then in the same breath pledged to keep battling in Telangana. The internet, unsurprisingly, has thoughts.
“Andhra lone dikku ledu, Telangana lo adhikaram ela koratham? I have no scope to come to power even in Andhra Pradesh. Why would I seek power in Telangana? I am not in love with power, but with change.” — Pawan Kalyan, AP Deputy Chief Minister
Politicians rarely say the quiet part out loud. Pawan Kalyan just did — and in doing so, sparked a conversation that is equal parts fascinating, puzzling, and politically explosive.
Speaking to reporters at his Jubilee Hills residence in Hyderabad on Monday, the Jana Sena president and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister made a candid admission that most leaders spend entire careers carefully avoiding: he conceded, plainly and without apparent regret, that he has no realistic hope of coming to power in Andhra Pradesh. And therefore, he said, the question of ruling Telangana simply does not arise.
It is the kind of statement that in most political contexts would read as a crisis. In Pawan Kalyan’s mouth, it somehow sounded like a philosophical position.
What he actually said — and what it means
On power in AP and Telangana — “I have no scope to come to power even in Andhra Pradesh. Why would I seek power in Telangana? I am not in love with power, but with change.” A remarkable admission from a sitting Deputy CM of the very state he claims to have no hope in.
On Jana Sena’s Telangana future — “Jana Sena will stay in Telangana. We will contest elections here, including the upcoming GHMC elections. If necessary, I myself will tour Telangana.” No retreat despite the power admission.
On his critics — “Those criticising me today have not even travelled through the forests of Adilabad — but I did.” A pointed jab at armchair politicians who question his Telangana credentials.
On Jana Sena’s roots — “The people of Telangana have stood by me for many years. Jana Sena Party itself was established in the heart of Telangana.”
The paradox at the heart of it all
Here is the thing that makes Pawan Kalyan’s statement so politically interesting: he is currently the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He holds real power — Cabinet rank, a governing coalition, a seat at the table with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. And yet he is openly saying he has no path to the top job there.
For most politicians, that gap between ambition and reality is something to be hidden, managed, spun. Pawan Kalyan chose to say it into a microphone.
“I am not in love with power, but with change.” — Whether you believe him or not may depend entirely on which side of the Godavari you live on.
His explanation — that it is change he seeks, not power — is either a genuine expression of political idealism or a masterclass in reframing a weakness as a virtue. Possibly both. With Pawan Kalyan, the line between the two has always been hard to draw.
Why Telangana, then?
If Pawan Kalyan admits he cannot win in AP, his continued investment in Telangana raises an obvious question: why bother? His answer seems to be twofold.
First, there is genuine sentiment. Jana Sena was indeed launched in Hyderabad. Pawan has a real, documented history of engagement with Telangana — the Adilabad forests remark was not rhetorical flourish but a reference to actual padyatras he undertook years ago.
Second, there is strategic logic. Telangana’s upcoming GHMC elections represent an opportunity for Jana Sena to rebuild visibility in a major urban market. For a party that is currently a junior partner in AP’s coalition, planting a flag in Hyderabad politics is not a small ambition.
A politician redefining himself
The admission that power in AP is beyond his reach suggests a man recalibrating. Not giving up — the Telangana declarations make that clear — but reframing the goal from winning to influencing. From ruling to, as he puts it, changing.
If a politician who is already Deputy CM openly says he has no hope of reaching the top — and then doubles down on fighting in a second state where he has even less structural power — is that idealism, stubbornness, or a carefully constructed political brand? In Pawan Kalyan’s case, the honest answer is probably: all three at once.
He cannot win in AP. He will not stop fighting in Telangana. And somehow, in Pawan Kalyan’s world, those two facts are not in conflict at all.
