Pawan Kalyan Cancels Racha Banda in Pithapuram Amid Farmer Protest Threat, TDP Rift

Amid growing friction between TDP and Jana Sena cadres in Pithapuram, Deputy Chief Minister and JSP President Pawan Kalyan abruptly cancelled his scheduled ‘Racha Banda’ public interaction program on Friday, April 25.

Pawan was in his constituency to lay the foundation for a 100-bed hospital and a TTD Kalyana Mandapam. However, the Racha Banda program—meant to engage directly with locals—was reportedly called off last minute due to alerts of possible farmer and community protests.

The internal rift between the Jana Sena and TDP was further exposed as former Pithapuram MLA SVSN Varma skipped the event. Tensions have been simmering since Varma gave up his seat for Kalyan’s candidacy in exchange for a promised MLC post—an offer that ultimately went to Pawan Kalyan’s brother, Naga Babu, instead.

Tempers flared further when Naga Babu attributed Pawan Kalyan’s election win to star power and public support, dismissing Varma’s contribution, stating, “If anyone thinks otherwise, it is their karma (delusion).”

Adding to the discontent, TDP members expressed outrage that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s name was omitted from the plaque unveiled for the TTD Kalyana Mandapam.