Chiranjeevi, known as Chiru to his fans is a crowd puller and an actor who had spread social messages through his films. Even in Telengana his films are great hits. He launched the party in 2008 thinking he could do an NTR. But to his disappointment his party only got 18 Assembly and no Lok Sabha seats plunging him into despair. Chiru began looking for other options after the polls. The Praja Rajyam has maintained a soft corner towards the Congress since the beginning and never had friendly ties either with the Telugu Desam or the Left parties. Congress was looking for extra seats after Jagan Mohan Reddy rebelled. Chiranjeevi met Sonia Gandhi on May 30 last year with promises of support to the Congress, amidst rumors of a PRP-Congress merger. The process, which began then took about nine months and it, was a tactical coup this week for the Congress to get the PRP merge with it. Without bowing out of politics, Chiranjeevi continues to dominate after the merger. With the formal announcement, a new political realignment has begun in Andhra Pradesh.

Like most politicians, Chiru, whose party was born as an alternate to the Congress and the Telugu Desam said with a straight face last Sunday, “Our party’s main plank is social justice. The Congress too has the same plank. So in order to fight for the common cause, we have decided to merge our party with the Congress.” But is that the real reason? He is certainly not talking of the package, which has been worked out between the Congress and the PRP. Who can believe that that he has no pre conditions for the merger? Can there be free lunches in politics?

Why did Chiru think of merger and why does the Congress want him? It is the political compulsion for both and a simple demand- supply bargain.

First of all, the Congress needs more legislators and Chiru has the number. Jagan Reddy on the one hand and the separatist Telengana movement on the other had given sleepless nights to the Congress leadership this past one year. The PRP’s 18 MLAs are an effective prop for the Kiran Reddy government, which has 156 MLAs in the 294-member assembly. Jagan has the support of 26 congress MLAs. With this cushion, the stability of the Kiran Reddy government will be ensured even if Jagan decides to withdraw support from the government. The immediate test will be in the Kaddapah and Pulivendla by-polls where Jagan is fighting the Congress. The presence of Balija community in a sizeable number in the constituency is expected to move towards Congress with the entry of Chiru.

Secondly, the Congress needs a crowd puller and a charismatic leader and Chiru is a megastar. With this new face, the Congress hopes to regain its lost support in the state. He will also be a counter to the growing influence of Jagan. The Congress experiment in installing either Rosaiah or Kiran Reddy as chief minister did not pay off.

Thirdly, the Congress may get back the Kapu vote. The advent of the PRP threatened to take away the Kapus who voted strongly for Chiranjeevi in the 2009 polls and helped him get 18 per cent vote share.

Fourthly the merger at this point will give enough time to prepare for the 2014 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections to project Chiru as the leader. The Congress is keen to gain back the state, which is in shambles after the death of YSR.

As for Chiru, the merger is a god- sent opportunity. After losing out badly and finding it difficult to run the party, Chiru was looking for a face saving formula and the merger offered it. Despite getting 18 per cent of the vote share he was unable to run his party. While he was able to attract several politicians and civil servants before the polls, soon they got disenchanted and deserted him. Already two of 18 MLAs had moved to the Jagan camp and others may leave soon. In the past few months, more than 20 leaders had quit his party. His stand for a united Andhra Pradesh had alienated him from the Telengana region. So the first instinct was to keep his flock together. What better way than to merge with the Congress?

The merger was thought of not only to boost the sagging image of the Congress but also to bring in new social groups as Chiru commands the loyalty of Kapus, Balijas Vantaris and Telegas. Chiru commands these communities in the Andhra – Rayalaseema areas where they had not had a popular leader to lead them.

Secondly; he has worked out an advantageous package for himself and his party. According to insiders, Chiru will be projected as the chief ministerial candidate in the 2014 elections. For her part, Sonia Gandhi is believed to have ensured smooth adjustment of the PRP cadres in Congress. Reports are that two of his PRP leaders will get cabinet berths and two others MLC seats while he himself will become a central minister. By becoming a powerful force in the Congress, Chiru can also help his relatives in tax matters

The ground reality is that both the Congress and Chiru need each other. The Congress wants a charismatic and glamorous leader, which they find in Chiru while Chiru has discovered that he may be a big hero in films but he is not so in politics. (IPA Service)