Balakrishna Mega ‘Dhee’ with Chiranjeevi?

Hyderabad, January 30: Andhra Pradesh politics getting ready take another turn in forthcoming legislative assembly elections.

The Tollywood star actor turned politicians are getting ready to ‘Dhee’ in assembly polls.

The Telugu Desam Party star crusader and late NTR son Nandamuri Balakrishna is more than ready to contest against Praja Rajyam Party founder president and former Tollywood lead actor Megastar Chiranjeevi in the next elections.

"If the party directs me to do so, I am prepared to contest even against Chiranjeevi. Or for that matter from any-where in the State. And I challenge that I will emerge victorious in this contest," Balakrishna said in crowded gathering at Hindupur yesterday.

On the other hand, Balakrishna made it clear that except him, no other person from NTR family would contest the elections. "Jr NTR, Taraka Ratna and Kalyam Ram will campaign for the party, but not contest the elections at present," he said.

Venkateshwarlu Bulemoni

11 file papers for Legislative Council

The 11 candidates filed papers to the Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh. They filed their nomination papers for the Legislative Council elections from the Assembly constituency on Tuesday.

Of the 11, eight were from the Congress including cabinet Minister K. Rosaiah, and three from the Telugu Desam Party filed their nomination papers for the Legislative Council elections from the Assembly constituency to the Legislature Secretary Raja Sadaram on Tuesday.

All the 11 are likely to be elected unopposed as the number of vacancies are also the same. Surprisingly, the Congress did not field another candidate though the ruling party and its allies have almost sufficient strength in the Assembly to ensure the victory of nine candidates. This enabled the TDP to field three candidates and wins all.

The other Congress nominees are k. Rosaiah, Rudraraju Padmaraju, Peer Shabbir Ahmed, N. Rajalingam, K. Yadava Reddy, K. R. Amos, G. Thippeswamy and Singam Basavapunnaiah.

On the other hand, the three Telugu Desam nominees, Nannapaneni Rajakumari, B. Venkateswarlu and B. Lakshminarayana Goud, filed their papers a few minutes before the deadline at 3 p.m. They were accompanied by TDP leaders and significantly, CPI (M) and CPI MLAs led by their floor leaders N. Narsimhaiah and Chada Venkat Reddy respectively. The Left party legislators also signed on the papers of the TDP candidates. With no contest expected, the fourth of the ‘grand alliance’ partners, TRS stayed away.

The Legislature Secretary told reporters that the nominations would be scrutinised on Wednesday and the results could be announced after the last day of withdrawals on January 30.

Venkateshwarlu Bulemoni

YSR has just 85 days: Chandrababu Naidu

The Telugu Desam Party chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu has predicted that the Grand Alliance of TDP, TRS and Left parties will capture power in the State. Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has just 85 days to go and the Telugu Desham Party is staging a comeback, if the mood of the people is any indication.

Addressing a big gathering in Srikakulam town on Monday, Chandrababu Naidu ridicule the promise made by the Rajashekhar Reddy to fill thousands of teacher vacancies by May, 2009 as people were ready to send him home by April, 2009.

Chandrababu Naidu had participated and addressed several rallies at Komarthy, Narsannapeta, Narayanavalasa, Challapeta and Saravakota villages in the Narsannapeta Assembly constituency during his day-long marathon meetings at more than 10 villages and other roadside gatherings.

At Srikakulam town, Chandrababu Naidu, who spoke at several junctions, announced that he would take steps to return the 2.5 odd acres of land occupied by Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao to its rightful owner.

At all the public meetings, Naidu took pains to convince people that Rajashekhar Reddy and his colleagues had virtually looted the State exchequer by designing such schemes which provided scope for illegal payments.

Photo Feature: KCR’s Yaagam for separate Telangana State

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti founder president K. Chandrasekhar Rao and former actress turned politician Vijayashanti participate in the Vishwa Shanti yagam being conducted at the Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad on Friday.

The yaagam is being performed for world peace and creation of a separate state.

Pawan Kalyan’s 4 day yatra completed

The Praja Rajyam party’s youth wing Yuva Rajyam president and film star Pawan Kalyan has successfully completed his four-day yatra in various parts of Karimnagar district from January 20 to 23 and pepped up the morale of the party rank and file in general and his fans in particular.

In his village rural yatra traversed the kutcha road to reach Yellampalli project from Ramagundam mandal on Friday. The youth came in large numbers to participate in the padayatra. The Nava Telanagna party cadres had also participated in the yaatra and cheered Pawan Kalyan at all places.

He was accorded a warm reception at all places with the youth and womenfolk coming in large numbers to have a glimpse of film star. He also tried to attract the gathering with his interactive mode with the students, youth, women, farmers and senior citizens. On the outskirts of Peddapalli town, he entered fields barefoot and spoke to farmers.

Venkateshwarlu Bulemoni

Chandrababu promises diesel in subsidy for fishermen

The Telugu Desham Party president Nara Chandrababu has promised to supply diesel at 50 per cent subsidy to fishermen if his government is voted back to power.

Addressing a public meeting at Akkivaram and Bhogapuram on Friday afternoon, Chandrababu Naidu assumed that Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had proposed the coastal corridor from Tada to Ichchapuram to receive kickbacks from allotment of about 1.50 lakh acres to capitalists. If it was materialised, some 60,000 to 70,000 fishermen would be displaced along the coast, he said.

He said that Ministers and MLAs became land grabbers, particularly of the poor. With the number of scams surfacing each day, people in the State were forced to hang their heads in shame, he observed.

Chandrababu Naidu guaranteed free rice, enhancement of old age pensions, free supply of LPG connections and gas at 50 per cent subsidy. The response to his meetings was good.

Photo Feature: Actors & Leaders with School Girl

Actor Junior NTR (centre) presents a school girl with a uniform and bag as the TD president N. Chandrababu Naidu and TD leader Nandamoori Balakrishna.

AP Politics: Vijayashanti join hands with TRS

The Tollywood actress turned politician Vijayashanti formed Talli Telangana Party will merge with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti on January 30.

The announcement was made by Talli Telangana president Vijayashanti and TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao after a luncheon meet at her residence here on Friday.

The actor invited Chandrasekhar Rao for lunch. “I decided to merge my party with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi to avoid splitting of votes. I felt that all parties fighting for separate Telangana should come on one platform to achieve the goal,” Vijayashanti said. Sources in the TRS said Vijayashanti would get a key post and a separate office in the Telangana Bhavan. She may be appointed as the party general secretary or mahila wing chief. “She was offered a prominent post,” a party leader disclosed.
Vijayashanti, who launched Talli Telangana four years ago, said the formalities of the merger would be completed on January 30. “I also invited Devender Goud, but he did not respond. He subsequently joined the Praja Rajyam Party. I have no ego problems.” Welcoming Vijayashanti into the party fold, Chandrasekhar Rao said the merger would further strengthen the party and the Telangana movement. “When I met her three months back, I proposed the merger. I said it will be easier if all pro-Telangana parties come on one platform and take up the movement,” Chandrasekhar Rao said. “She readily agreed to the proposal,” he added. Chandrasekhar Rao said he was striving for a separate Telangana without bloodshed.

“I want to achieve Telangana politically. Violence has no place in Telangana movement,” he remarked.

Venkateshwarlu Bulemoni

AP Politics: TRS joins in Grand Alliance

The grand alliance is materialized in Andhra Pradesh.

The Telangana Rashtra Samiti president, K. Chandrasekhar Rao joined the Grand Alliance comprising the Telugu Desam, CPI (M) and the CPI on Thursday, triggering a triangular contest in the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state.

This has effectively put to rest all hopes of the Telangana Congress leaders and the Praja Rajyam who were seeking an alliance with the TRS.

The Grand Alliance will be formally launched on January 21 when the Telugu Desam president, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, CPI (M) general secretary B.V. Raghavulu, the CPI general secretary, K. Narayana, and the CPI MP, Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, will go to Telangana Bhavan to participate in a public meeting to be held from 10 am 12 noon muhurtham.

For now, the alliance partners will have their own manifestoes with a single goal of defeating the Congress in the state and Centre and strive for the Third Front at the Centre.

The Opposition alliance took this decision after a 3 hour luncheon meeting at the Jubilee Hills residence of Chandrababu Naidu.

Mega alliance in Andhra Pradesh Politics?

The Andhra Pradesh politics took another Mega turn yesterday. The Telugu Desham Party (TDP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and left party’s CPI (M), CPI given a clear indication on their alliance against Congress party.

The Telugu Desam Party president Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Rashtra Samithi chief K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday more than indicated that they, along with the two Left parties, will fight the 2009 general and assembly elections as alliance partners.

The leaders of the four parties met the President Mrs Prathibha Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan camp and also sought the dismissal of six ministers allegedly involved in the fisheries department executive engineer Suryanarayana scam. They demanded action against ‘Corrupt’ Rajashekhar Redy government in Andhra Pradesh.

In a sign of bonhomie, the TRS chief, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, later took the TD president, N. Chandrababu Naidu, the CPI (M) leader, B.V. Raghavulu, and the CPI leader, K. Narayana in one car from Rashtrapati Nilayam to his Banjara Hills residence for a sumptuous dinner.

Earlier in the evening, the TRS chief visited Chandrababu Naidu’s residence after a gap of eight years. Before the dinner, he announced that his party would take a political decision on the alliance on an auspicious day after Sankranti.

The TRS chief called Naidu his "friend of 20 years" and added that the issue of alliance would be discussed in party forums. "We will also take people into confidence." "Our goal is one," he added. "We have to defeat the incompetent and corrupt Congress government. We will have massive joint agitations."

He added that the CPI (M) stance on Telangana would be clarified before the grand alliance was set up.

Venkateshwarlu Bulemoni