Even as the film star turned politician Chiranjeevi was worried over getting an electoral symbol allotted by the Election Commission, his Praja Rajyam party got a shot in the arm on Thursday with two legislators of Telugu Desam party including the party general secretary joining the PRP.
In an era when the misguided youth of today are trying to build political careers by subscribing to divisive ideologies, they need to look to independent thinking icons such as Acharya Kripalani, says Mohammad Sajjad.
Mega star and Praja Rajyam Party leader Chiranjeevi is into damage-control exercise after the stunning debacle for the party in the recently concluded Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh.
Recalling the veteran socialist's association with the city, Communist Party of India leader Prakash Reddy said that Fernandes had in 1967 emerged as the "giant killer" by defeating Patil, who was then called the "uncrowned king of Bombay" and represented the Bombay South Lok Sabha seat.
It was a mixed bag for star contenders in the fray at the hustings. While Shatrughan Sinha, Jayaprada, Chiranjeevi and Navjot Singh Sidhu tasted victory in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls, star contestants like Vinod Khanna, Nafisa Ali and Ambareesh bit the dust.
It was a mixed bag for the many film personalities who contested the Lok Sabha polls in Andhra Pradesh. Of the twelve personalities from the film industry who had contested the elections, only four managed to win.
The fledgling Praja Rajyam Party headed by actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Friday accused the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh of resorting to "dirty tricks" and tapping the telephones of some its top leaders.
The Praja Rajyam Party seems to be facing lot of problems even as it is completing one year of its existence shortly and its chief, megastar Chiranjeevi, is celebrating his birthday on Saturday
Popular Telugu film star-turned-politician Chiranjeevi launched his public contact program on Saturday by undertaking his first visit to Sricilla, a town of handloom weavers in Karimnagar district in the heart of the Telangana region.
There was more political drama in Andhra Pradesh over the Telangana issue with 11 members of the Praja Rajyam Party tendering their resignation.
The number of Congress MPs to resign to protest against the Centre's decision to carve out a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh has gone up to three, while 90 MLAs from Congress, Telugu Desam Party and Praja Rajyam have also resigned. Two TDP MPs have also submitted their resignation.
About a fortnight after launching his party Praja Rajyam, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi would be embarking on his maiden mass contact programme towards the month-end, amid criticism that he lacks clarity about his political agenda.A plan for the actor's tour of the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh has almost been finalised, party spokesperson P Mithra said in Hyderabad.
A case has been registered against the Praja Rajyam party founder and actor Chiranjeevi for conducting road shows beyond 2200 hours at Narasaraopet town here, police said.
The political migrations to Praja Rajyam, floated recently by Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, continued with former Telugu Desam Party minister K Vidyadhar Rao on Monday joining the party along with his followers.Rao, who held several key positions in TDP during his 25-year-long political career, was expelled from the regional party a few months ago for openly supporting Chiranjeevi and predicting that the matinee idol would become the next chief minister.
Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Monday virtually ruled out having any alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state elections, asserting that his newly floated Praja Rajyam is a secular party."We will not align with them because ours is a secular party," he told reporters. Observing that options are open for talking to all secular parties, he said that a decision would be taken only after the elections are announced.
Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi met Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy in New Delhi on Monday to seek a common symbol for his party Praja Rajyam. Chiranjeevi, who was accompanied by former union minister P Shivshankar, submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission, requesting that the rules for issuing a common symbol be amended. As per the EC's rules, a regional political party needs to secure six per cent of the votes and two elected representatives.
Sometimes, it pays to be single. This seems to be the message Arun Gawli's Akhil Bharatiya Sena has given through its performance during the past two years and ahead of the 13th Assembly election in Maharashtra. The gangster-turned-politician's party has not only utilised 100 per cent of the MLA's fund for local area development, but is also the only party to do so.
Singannagudem, a Dalit dominated small village in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh, received a pleasant surprise on Saturday when mega-star-turned-politician Chiranjeevi paid them a surprise visit. The chief of the Praja Rajyam party also participated in a community lunch to mark the 53rd death anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar. Chiranjeevi sat down on the floor with other villagers and shared their meal.Chiranjeevi's gesture floored the Dalit community in the village.
Police said the incident occurred as people pushed and jostled, and fell over each other to get closer to the star's vehicle. Private security guards and the star's fans, who formed the security ring around the vehicle, tried to keep the situation under control but couldn't save the two persons from being trampled.
"Tirupati is fixed. I may also contest from my native Narsapuram in West Godavari district if I decide to stand from a second constituency," Chiranjeevi told media persons at Rajahmundry on Wednesday.
Posters heralding the entry of Tamil film star Rajnikant into politics by his fans sparked speculation that the superstar planned to make debut in politics much on the lines of Telugu filmstar Chiranjeevi. "Praja Rajyam (the party floated by Chiranjeevi) in Andhra Pradesh, Rajnirajyam in Tamil Nadu' read a poster that appeared in many parts of Coimbatore on Wednesday.
The Congress and the Grand Alliance of the Telugu Desam Party, the Telengana Rashtra Samithi, the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Communist Party of India are expected to be locked in a direct contest for electoral supremacy in Andhra Pradesh, with Praja Rajyam Party likely to emerge as a dark horse with its chief Chiranjeevi hoping to do an Obama with his 'change' mantra.
In a major setback to the Praja Rajyam party of filmstar Chiranjeevi in Andhra Pradesh, the Election Commission of India has rejected its request for a common election symbol on the ground that the party has not contested even a single election so far.
There are signs of trouble between the film actor Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party and the Nava Telangana Party over the issue of an alliance or understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Even as the NTP president T Devender Goud is scheduled to meet BJP's the prime ministerial candidate L K Advani and the party president Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Thursday, Chiranjeevi has ruled out the possibility of a tie up with the saffron party.
The Praja Rajyam party of film-star-turned politician Chiranjeevi has claimed that it was going to win 205 seats in Andhra Pradesh assembly in the forthcoming elections.
Former Telugu Desam Party MP Yelamanchali Sivaji and an ex-IAS officer T Chandrasekhar of Maharashtra cadre on Tuesday joined the Praja Rajyam party floated by Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi. Sivaji, a former Rajya Sabha member and an expert on farmers' issues, joined the actor's party along with a large number of his followers from Guntur district.
Addressing a meeting of women on the occasion of oath taking by the state committee of women's wing of his party, Chiranjeevi expressed concern over the proliferation of liquor shops, especially in the rural areas and its impact on the law and order and the rural economy and growing atrocities on women.
As the assembly elections loom large over Andhra Pradesh, a race of sorts has already begun among the political parties to offer sops and make populist promises.
The Kadappa-based lawyer, who was in the news for approaching the Election Commission for registration of a political party bearing the same name as Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam, announced his support to the actor.
The police said incident occurred this evening when he was participating in a road show in Husnabad mandal of Karimnagar district. "As he waved back his hands in response to the reception by his fans and supporters, his hand touched an over head electric wire and he collapsed on the roof of his vehicle", an onlooker said.
Polling was held in 1,643 polling stations in 38 constituencies across the twin districts of Imphal East and Imphal West, Bishnupur and the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.
Filmstar-turned-politician and Praja Rajyam leader Chiranjeevi has promised that he will do every thing possible to meet all problems of Muslims in Andhra Pradesh with in the limits of the Constitution and ensure justice to them in all spheres.
Stepping up its attack on actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh today said the Praja Rajyam president is asking for a chance for his party out of lust for power.
Putting a formal seal on the prominence of his family in the affairs of Praja Rajyam Party, film star-turned-politician Chiranjeevi formally appointed his younger brother and film star Pavan Kalyan as the chief of Yuva Rajyam, the youth wing of the PRP.
Praja Ankitam Yatra of filmstar-turned-politician Chiranjeevi evoked a huge response from the people in Pulivendula, the home turf of the Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy as the people, mostly youth and women, flooded the streets and the roads in thousands to see and hear the actor.
Actresses-turned-politicians Vijaya Santhi and R K Roja are now apparently leaving no occasion to lash out at Chiranjeevi, who launched his Praja Rajyam Party last month.
Telugu actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi on Monday said he would spell out his stand on the Telangana statehood demand with more clarity after studying the issue in detail.Replying to a query over allegations in some quarters that he lacked clarity on some important issues including Telangana, he denied the charge and said there is nothing wrong in taking time to study the issue."
Chiranjeevi has unveiled an attractive package for the poor to insulate them from the impact of rising prices. PRP has promised that if it comes to power it will provide each poor family a package of 25 kg rice, 1 kg edible oil, 1 kg pulses, 2 kg onion, 1 kg salt and half kg tamarind -- all for mere Rs 100. Addressing a meeting in Nellore district, Chiranjeevi pointed out that an earning of Rs 100 after a day of hard work was insufficient to feed a poor family.
T Devender Goud, the former No 2 in the Telugu Desam Party, formally launched a new regional political party 'Nava Telangana Praja Party' by unveiling a colourful flag of the party, declaring that the formation of Telangana state was the goal of the party.
KCR, as Rao is popularly known, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor E S L Narasimhan at a simple ceremony on the lawns of Raj Bhavan.
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