Chiranjeevi to campaign for Cong in K'tka bypolls

Praja Rajyam Party President K Chiranjeevi will campaign on Thursday for the Congress party in the by-election to Bangarupalem assembly constituency in Karnataka.

Union Minister of State for Railways K Muniyappa invited Chiranjeevi to campaign for the Congress as the latter has a lot of fan following in Karnataka.

There is also a sizeable Telugu population in the constituency. The actor-turned-politician will also campaign for the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam combine in the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, PRP sources said.

All India Congress Committee general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K V Tangabalu spoke to Chiranjeevi separately over phone and requested him to campaign for the party.

In fact, Chiranjeevi had a meeting with AICC chief Sonia Gandhi a few days ago wherein she requested him to be a star campaigner for the Congress in the Tamil Nadu elections.

Accordingly, Chiranjeevi will campaign in Tamil Nadu on April 8 and 9. He is later expected to campaign for the Congress in Kharagpur in West Bengal, where there are a large number of Telugu voters.

The Praja Rajyam Party will be formally merged with the Congress mid-May after the completion of assembly elections in five states.

Chiranjeevi has invited Sonia and Rahul Gandhi for a massive public meeting proposed to be held near Vijayawada for the merger function.