'Sudden Decision': Ram Gopal Varma To Take On Pawan Kalyan In Pithapuram?

Hours after actor-turned-politician and Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan announced that he will be contesting from Pithapuram constituency in the upcoming Andhra Assembly elections, noted Telugu-Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has announced that he will contest from the same constituency.

Without naming Kalyan, Ram Gopal Varma tweeted, "SUDDEN DECISION..Am HAPPY to inform that I am CONTESTING from PITHAPURAM 💪💐." Ram Gopal Varma is known as a Pawan Kalyan critic and his comments have not taken his followers on Twitter or Pawan Kalyan fans by surprise.

However, it is not sure whether he is really serious or made those claims on Twitter to garner media attention.

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan announced his candidacy from the Pithapuram constituency for the forthcoming Assembly Elections in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday.

In the 2019 assembly elections, Kalyan ran in two constituencies, Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram, but lost in both seats.

For the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the TDP has joined hands with the Jana Sena and the BJP.

As per the seat allocation agreement between TDP, BJP, and Jana Sena, the Telugu actor-founded party is set to contest in two Lok Sabha seats and 21 assembly seats.

After floating the party in 2014, Pawan Kalyan has not tasted electoral success. In that year, he had supported the TDP and the BJP alliance.

In the 2019 assembly elections, Kalyan contested from two constituencies, Gajuwaka and Bhimavaram, yet faced defeat in both segments.

In the Pithapuram constituency, the current representative is Dorababu Pendem from YSRCP, who had first secured the seat for BJP in 2004. In 2009, Vanga Geetha, running under the Praja Rajyam party, founded by Kalyan's brother and Telugu Megastar Chiranjeevi before merging it with Congress, emerged victorious.

In 2014, the seat was won by independent candidate SVSN Varma.