PRP may support Congress

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) of Chiranjeevi is likely to support the Congress in the June 14 Rajya Sabha elections from Andhra Pradesh.

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) of Chiranjeevi is likely to support the Congress in the June 14 Rajya Sabha elections from Andhra Pradesh.

HT Image

The two parties are believed to have reached an understanding at a meeting between Chiranjeevi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday.

The Congress had sought out Chiranjeevi not only to avoid a contest but also to counter any attempt by the loyalists of Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy to resort to cross voting in the elections.

Gandhi had two days ago invited Chiranjeevi for talks after it became apparent that Jagan was in defiant mood.

Jaganmohan, son of former Andhra chief minister late YSR Reddy, had defied the Congress high command directive and gone ahead with his ‘Odarpu yatra’, a tour to console families of those who committed suicide in the wake of his father’s death in a helicopter crash last September.

Chiranjeevi’s nod came after Gandhi requested him not to field any PRP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.

However, the actor-turned-politician refused to make his party’s stand public. “The Congress president requested me to withdraw PRP candidate from Rajya Sabha polls. I told her that I will discuss the issue with party leaders and get back in two days,” Chiranjeevi said after his 30-minute meeting.

Ahead of his meeting, Chiranjeevi and PRP strategist C Ramachandraiah held talks with Moily and Congress chief’s political secretary Ahmed Patel.

It is understood that the Congress brass has assured Chiranjeevi it would help the PRP get one of its members elected to the RS at a later date.

Chiranjeevi ruled out merger of PRP with the Congress.