Here comes a climax to Mega Star Chiranjeevi’s PRP! In a major political reconfiguration in Andhra Pradesh, Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) President K. Chiranjeevi announced merger of his 30 month old party with Indian National Congress (INC). After launching with so much fanfare and ambitions around the slogan of Social Justice, PRP Chief declared the merger in New Delhi after about an hour meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The Congress party is believing that the merger shall boost its strength in Coastal Andhra Pradesh, where Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is perceived to be a major threat to the Congress. The PRP- Congress merger is also seen as a counter by the Congress Party to the popularity of Y.S. Jagan. The PRP managed to win 18 seats in 2009 Assembly elections.
Chiranjeevi made it clear that he is not going to join Kiran Kumar Reddy’s cabinet in Andhra Pradesh and the merger will benefit the people of Andhra Pradesh. Chiranjeevi formed the PRP on 26th August 2008 at 120 acre ground near Tirupati with more than 5 lakhs people. Ironically, T. Devender Goud of TDP merged his ‘Nava Telangana Party’ with PRP at that time and he was made Vice President of PRP. It is believed that Chiranjeevi’s decision to merge PRP with Congress will result in Chiru taking the reigns of the Congress unit of Andhra Pradesh.
As there are so many constitutional arrangements to be followed in order to merge a party with another, we have to wait and watch the fate of 18 MLAs elected on the symbol of Praja Rajyam Party including it’s star turned politician. Following is the list of PRP MLAs in Andhra Pradesh.