Hyderabad: In what appears to be a prize catch, actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, who is now campaigning for the TDP-BJP alliance for the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, has emerged as a crowd-puller for the alliance.
Kalyan, youngest brother of Union minister and Congress campaign committee chairman in Seemandhra, Chiranjeevi, launched the Jana Sena Party just ahead of elections and pledged support to BJP.
He had travelled to Ahmedabad for meeting Modi and expressed admiration for the Gujarat chief minister's leadership qualities and his ability to express his views fearlessly.
The 41-year-old actor had several blockbusters to his credit in a career spanning over two decades, including 'Attarintiki Daredi' and 'Gabbar Singh', in recent times.
Pawan Kalyan proved to be a trump card for the TDP-BJP alliance as he embarked on campaign in Telangana region where the polling concluded on April 30.
Kalyan, who enjoys a craze among young movie buffs in Telangana as well as Seemandhra, drew huge applause as he attacked Congress and TRS during campaign meetings he addressed in the presence of Modi.
Young audience kept shouting 'power star' (a title given to him in Telugu film industry) as he joined Modi and Naidu in the meeting held in the temple town of Tirupati on April 30 to kick-off the TDP-BJP combine's election campaign for Seemandhra.
"Pawan Kalyan is known for speaking out his mind. I am his fan," Satyanarayana, who attended the rally at Tirupati, said.
Similar was the scene at Madanapalle in Chittoor district where Modi, Naidu and Kalyan addressed the first of a series of election rallies on May one.
However, there were some who would like to take election campaign by film stars like Pawan Kalyan with a pinch of salt. "Modi is a good leader. Naidu promises to work for Seemandhra. (But) Pawan Kalyan ... What will happen by film stars," said one Krishna in Tirupati.
Chittoor, bordering Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, is the native district of the TDP Chief, but the 'Modi magic' appeared to be at work even in this region. Modi's fiery speeches in chaste Hindi, accompanied by a translation by senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu, drew huge response from the crowds.
As Modi rounded off his campaign in Seemandhra with a whirlwind tour on May one, Kalyan is scheduled to carry out a hectic campaign in the region. The TDP and BJP are counting on the actor's campaign to make further gains.
The 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly seats in Seemandhra is set to go to polls on May seven.
