The 2023 Telangana elections saw intense competition among key figures, including a remarkable independent candidate, 23-year-old Sirisha, also known as Barrelakka, who herds buffaloes. Despite her loss in the elections, Sirisha gained immense popularity for her determined efforts and positive reception from the people, thanks to her background as a graduate and her bold step into politics.
Sirisha’s candidacy became a talking point for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who used her as a reference to criticize Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan. Jagan compared Pawan Kalyan’s election performance to that of Barrelakka, highlighting how Pawan Kalyan’s party failed to secure votes, unlike Sirisha, who garnered significant support even though she ran as an independent candidate.
The Chief Minister took a swipe at Pawan Kalyan, emphasizing that despite Pawan Kalyan’s ambitious claims during the campaign in Telangana, his party couldn’t match the votes Sirisha received. Jagan even went on to assert that his ‘sister’ Barrelakka performed better than Pawan Kalyan in the elections. This comparison became a tool for Jagan and his party to taunt Pawan Kalyan for not being able to win in both seats contested and for Janasena’s poor performance in the elections, securing only one seat.
In another blow to Pawan Kalyan’s Janasena, despite hopes among fans for a breakthrough in Telangana’s elections, the party lost all eight seats it contested. Jagan Mohan Reddy made these remarks during the inauguration of a new hospital and a project aimed at aiding those battling kidney diseases in the Uddanam region of Andhra Pradesh.
Ultimately, the reference to Sirisha’s electoral performance served as a potent political tool for YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to underscore Pawan Kalyan’s inability to secure votes and to highlight his party’s disappointing outcome in the Telangana elections.