This year’s Andhra Pradesh elections were important for Pawan Kalyan’s family. His brother Naga Babu, Niharika Konidela’s father, and other family members threw their weight behind Pawan. Allu Arjun drew flak for supporting a YSRCP candidate. Now, Niharika opened up about the rumoured tiff in an interview with M9. (Also Read: Niharika Konidela says ‘that cloud has passed’ on her divorce from Chaitanya: I just want to be happy)
‘I can only speak for myself’
Niharika was asked how the family reacted when Arjun publicly supported Silpa Ravi Reddy in Nandyal. She said, “We didn’t actually talk too much about it. We didn’t speak about it at home because everyone has their own reasons. Politically, religiously, spiritually, everyone has a choice to do what they want.”
She also denied that a tweet put out by her father was about Arjun, stating that he must have shared his ‘opinion’ about something else. When prodded further, she said, “For me, it’s always family first and I can only speak for myself.” choosing not to comment on it further.
Pawan contested from the Jana Sena Party in alliance with Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party and the BJP. He is now the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
‘They have their own reasons’
Last month, Niharika was also asked about the rumoured tiff between family members at a press meet. Some also pointed out that their cousin, Sai Dharam Tej aka Sai Durgha Tej, had unfollowed Arjun on X (formerly Twitter).
She claimed ignorance, stating, “Genuinely, I didn’t know about this till you just told me. I’m sorry, I’m not aware of it.” She did add that if it is true, it must be for a reason, stating, “But, whatever it is, I’m sure they have their own reasons.”
Arjun was also missing when the whole family got together in Hyderabad to celebrate Pawan’s success after the elections.
Allu Arjun clarifies his support
In a statement in May, Arjun claimed that he remains ‘neutral’ to all parties, writing, “Firstly, I want to clarify that I’m not affiliated with any political party. I remain neutral and support my people, regardless of their political affiliations. This includes my uncle Pawan Kalyan, whom I’ll always stand by, along with my friend Ravi and my father-in-law, Mr. Reddy.”
He added, “I made a promise to my friend, Mr. Ravi, to support him, but I couldn’t fulfill it last time. To keep my word, this time I went to Nandyal to support him,” thanking Silpa for the ‘hospitality’ he was shown at Nandyal.