Chiranjeevi
THE BIG VOTE 2009
Actor-politician Chiranjeevi will be more than a handful for the Congress and TDP
By Lalita Iyer
The air in Vemagiri village of Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district is hot, humid and charged. A crowd and some decked-up camels and horses wait outside an enclosure. Actor-politician Chiranjeevi's fans, dressed in camouflage trousers and T-shirts, man the gate. The second enclosure has fewer people. Only big names can get through the third gate. The innermost enclosure has an air-conditioned tent, with a table and two chairs. Here, Chiru holds his meetings. The rest of the crowd sits under a pandal, star-struck.
The entourage sets out by 11 a.m. The crowd slows down the exit of Chiru's van, which has three seats, a fridge and a dry toilet. He climbs a few steps and greets his admirers, who drive alongside his vehicle on the four-lane National Highway 5, hoping to catch a glimpse of him when he is not on top, and trying to catch his eye if he is riding shotgun. Every time he waves, they drum on the van and fling garlands at him. When he stops, they shower him with gifts. A physically challenged man keeps pace with the van to be lifted to shake hands with his idol.
The campaigning of Chiru's Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) goes on till late night, when strategies are discussed. Most of the time he is atop the van, waving and talking to the crowd. During breaks, he uses a water-based sunscreen lotion and has buttermilk with water or ragi.
Chiru says people are his oxygen. "I am used to the public. In my professional life as an entertainer I understood how important the public is. I am there with the people and have concern for them, which is why social justice for all is our poll plank," he says. Drawing a parallel with the days of the late NTR, he says, "If there was a necessity of change then, there is a necessity even now. He challenged legendary politicians then, and I am fighting them now."
For him, politics is different from films. "In the film world we were a pampered lot. But there is no comparison to the satisfaction one gets from being with the public. I feel my life is fulfilled," he says. "I am into this only to move forward. The system can be changed if one has the will."
Perhaps, Chiru has taken the plunge at the right time. THE WEEK/C-Voter survey shows that 43 per cent of respondents want a change of government in the state. The PRP is projected to win 57 Assembly seats, out of 294, a good sign for a fledgling party in a state where the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party have been main contenders. The PRP may have a positive swing of 28 per cent and may do well in coastal Andhra, where it is projected to win 39 seats. Moreover, Chiru, who hails from north coastal Andhra and is set to contest from the Tirupati Assembly constituency, is rated high for the CM's post (see survey).
During campaigning, Chiru is assisted by friend Koneru Kumar, who has come from the US to be his secretary. Vikram, his speech-writer, and Raj Kumar, the media vice-chairman, keep him updated on the stats and issues. Says Vikram, who coined the party's phrase 'Marpu kosam (for the sake of change)': "I only give him the inputs. He builds his speeches around the inputs. He is spontaneous and speaks off the cuff." Chiru is keen on sharing his ideas but his team says the local media is underplaying the campaign.
A white shirt and black trousers are Chiru's signature attire. "Black is my favourite colour and white is what the public demands," he says. He has placed orders for the clothes from Calvin Klein. While on the move, he prefers idlis or dosas, or even pooris, for breakfast. His Tamil cook Subrahmanyam prepares his lunch in a van accompanying the entourage.
Politically, Chiru is playing his cards deftly. "We are doing a lot of revolutionary things. We have given many seats to BCs and are giving general seats to STs and SCs. We have to learn to fight from within the system," he says. Of 181 PRP candidates announced, 77 are BCs. Also, there are 20 women candidates. Chiru feels the youth will vote for him. "But it is the women and middle class who are 100 per cent with me," he says.
Chiru plans to focus on efficient running of hospitals and hostels for backward classes, and starting vocational courses to provide 10 lakh jobs in 1,000 days. "If we can get over certain hurdles, we can do it," he says. And he is ready to give it back to those who call him a spoiler. Says he: "Why a spoiler? We will win."
A triangular contest is on the cards in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh. The ruling Congress will go it alone. The TDP has formed a grand alliance with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), the CPI and CPI(M). Chiranjeevi's PRP is the new entrant.
But confusion prevailed among constituents of the grand alliance on March 30, the last day of filing nominations for the 22 Lok Sabha and 145 Assembly constituencies going to polls in the first phase on April 16. At least 25 TDP cadres filed nominations in constituencies it had allotted to the TRS. Negotiations were on between TRS leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu ahead of the last date for withdrawal of nominations on April 2.
Even as the TRS, contesting from 45 Assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats in the Telangana region, has been making demands from the TDP, analysts say the TRS, which was with the Congress in the 2004 polls, is merely playing spoiler for the TDP. But the CPI(M), too, has said that it got only 14 seats when it wanted 18. Naidu has his hands full.
On its part, the Congress-which won 29 seats in the 2004 general elections-announced its candidates for 290 Assembly seats and all the 42 Lok Sabha seats without much ado. The party manifesto is out and campaigning is underway. The BJP's efforts to clinch an alliance in the state fell flat. But it has for the first time decided to contest from all Assembly and Lok Sabha seats; the party did not win any seat from the state in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. The Lok Satta Party, founded by former IAS officer Jayaprakash Narayan, is also in the fray for the first time. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has said it will contest from all the Lok Sabha and Assembly seats.
The issue of a separate Telangana state has been watered down, with all political parties promising to ?do something about it. The BJP says it will create a Telangana state within 100 days of coming to ?power at the Centre. The Congress says that though it supported a ?separate state, there are issues that need discussion.
Surprisingly, Naidu, who stood for a united Andhra, has taken the separate Telangana route. He has no other choice. If he loses, he may not be able to keep his flock together. The campaigning by NTR's son Balakrishna, whose daughter is married to Naidu's son, has to some extent lifted the spirits of TDP cadres. But it is the launch of Jr NTR, son of NTR's son Harikrishna, into campaigning that has boosted the cadres' morale. Clad in khakis and riding a ratham, like his grandfather used to do, Jr NTR is a crowd-puller. A wag says, "NTR distributed his properties among his children, but the best he kept for this young man."
THE WEEK/C-Voter survey shows that the TDP faces a negative swing in the Telangana region, which accounts for 119 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats. Still, the party has an edge in the region because of the presence of the TRS in the grand alliance.
Parties have announced sops to woo voters. The TDP has promised free TV sets and money to poor families, besides free power to farmers and free rice up to 25kg for BPL families. The Congress is banking on the development agenda. CM Rajasekhar Reddy has implemented a number of pro-poor welfare schemes, including the Aroygasri health insurance cover and NREGA. Still, THE WEEK/C-Voter survey shows that the party may have a negative swing of 11 per cent in the polls. Clearly, it will be a close contest.
source: the week
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