Pawan Kalyan Cancels Telangana Campaign Amid Controversy Over 'Evil Eye' Comments

Just a day before he was scheduled to go to Telangana on a campaign for the urban local body elections in the state, NDA ally and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has cancelled the trip. The Jana Sena Party chief was set to tour four constituencies in south Telangana on February 7, sources close to him said. The Telangana local body polls are scheduled to be held on February 11. The results will be declared on February 13. Sources close to Kalyan maintained he cancelled the tour because of a minor health issue. At the same time, speculation is rife whether the visit ran into rough weather after his comments blaming an “evil eye” for issues in Andhra Pradesh’s Konaseema region. Many political leaders had interpreted this as a jab at Telangana and demanded that Kalyan apologise. While the row around Kalyan’s statement erupted in December 2025, tensions regarding it still simmer in Telangana. On February 5, Telangana Congress leader and minister in the Revanth Reddy Cabinet, Ponnam Prabhakar, said the BJP was “insulting Telangana” by making Kalyan campaign in the state. A top BJP source indicated there was some discomfiture over the controversy. “The BJP has decided to go alone in the polls. When the Jana Sena chief said that he would extend support, we agreed keeping in mind NDA unity. Now he has decided not to come,” a BJP source told The Indian Express . Kalyan belongs to the Kapu community, which has a sizeable population in some parts of Telangana. The BJP in Telangana, though, has no dearth of Kapu leaders, including Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar and MP Dharmapuri Arvind. Sources also said the Jana Sena’s decision to field candidates in the local body polls in Telangana didn’t particularly enthuse the BJP. Those close to Kalyan maintained the Jana Sena would actively support the BJP in Telangana.