Hyderabad, August 11: Megastar Chiranjeevi inaugurated his state-of-the-art party office at 12:50 am on Monday at Banjara Hills Road No 45. The party office is close to his brother-in-law Allu Arvind’s film company, Geeta Arts. The megastar performed pooja with his entire family and a few friends. 

His three-storey and centrally-airconditioned party office has become the talk of the town with tastefully done interiors, hi-end facilities and a press conference room. The megastar has reserved for himself a modest cabin. The office is fully computertised with wi-fi and can be easily mistaken for a software company. At least a dozen close circuit TV cameras have been installed in the office.

Though it was drizzling, Chiranjeevi chose the hour after midnight, as it was an auspicious time according to the Telugu calendar. A calm and composed actor told reporters what he has been repeating over the past few months and ended the brief interaction with the media by making a politically correct statement.

“I know my fans are waiting for me to announce my party. I will not disappoint them. They have to just wait for a few more days. I will announce the party before this month-end — the name of the party and its agenda on one day and launch the party on another,” he said. “Today, I would like to extend my condolences to the families who have lost their near and dear ones in the incessant rain over the past three days. I request all my fans to help and support the bereaved families,” he said, before vanishing into the office.

Political analysts feel that the way things are being managed, it does not augur well for Chiranjeevi. First, his brother-in-law Allu Arvind is calling all the shots and though it appears that the megastar has given him a free hand, it is sending wrong message to people as to who is in-charge. Arvind’s clout within the family is likely to result in friction with Chiranjeevi’s actor-brothers, Pawan Kalyan and Nagendra Babu.

Second, leaders of other parties, who have either quit or have been expelled, are publicly embracing the party and inadvertently giving it a bad image that it is accumulating political discards.

Analysts say that for a party that aims to be different and promises to bring in a new brand of politics, the emanating signals don’t bode well.

However, if Chiranjeevi’s intentions of launching himself late are compared to N T R’s launch of the TDP, it makes some sense. The charismatic NTR launched the TDP on March 29, 1982 and became chief minister of Andhra Pradesh within 10 months, on January 9, 1983.

The megastar’s popularity is not restricted to Andhra Pradesh alone. The Pravasa Chiranjeevi Organisation, a fan club based in Los Angeles, has been holding functions to organise support for him. Software professionals, under the banner of Chiru Mega Youth Force, met in Muscat last month to express their support. There are also campaign songs for Chiranjeevi on the Youtube, composed by his followers in the US.

It may not match the fans’ enthusiasm, but the action is being scripted and directed at Geeta Arts too. These days, Arvind is meeting people — many of them local leaders from the Congress and the TDP. While Chiranjeevi keeps his lips sealed, it is Arvind who is dropping hints. “Many leaders have approached us saying that they would join Chiranjeevi’s party as soon as it is launched,” he said.

While the megastar, who recently became a grandpa, is busy setting right some family matters, including reaching out to his estranged daughter Sreeja who eloped and got married last October, it is left to Arvind to make preparations for the party’s launch. Last Friday, Arvind visited Tirupati to look for a suitable place to hold a public meeting where Chiranjeevi would announce his formal entry into politics. He also inspected three grounds that can accommodate five lakh people.

Chiranjeevi’s brother Nagendra Babu, an actor and producer, has been given the task of touring the districts to gauge support. He has already toured 19 districts. “Chiranjeevi will make an announcement himself in August. I know fans and followers have been waiting for long and they are getting impatient,” he said.

A group of Chiranjeevi aides have been working in the state to assess what people really want. This group comprises Dr P Mitra, Dr P Vinay, T V Rao, T Brahma Reddy and Y L N Rao of the Jana Vignana Vedika, ex-special chief secretary and ex-Congress MP from Amalapuram K S R Murthy, who is also a Dalit leader.

Chiranjeevi is also known to have met retired IAS officers like S R Sankaran and Gopal Rao. Rao has been working for welfare of the backward classes and is advising him on the SCST situation in the state and how to woo them, since Chiranjeevi’s party is expected to be an alternative to the upper class-dominated Congress and TDP.

However, according to political observer Parkal Prabhakar, Chiranjeevi is not very confident about his party’s performance. “Except for coastal Andhra, Chiranjeevi knows he may not be such a big draw as a politician in other areas, especially in Telangana,” Prabhakar said.

The megastar’s apprehensions are not misplaced. A close associate of Arvind said the core group has cautioned that Chiranjeevi’s party cannot be seen as caste-based, although it has to nurture the image of an alternative to the Reddy-dominated Congress and Kamma-dominated TDP. All this is delaying the launch further.

Hero of the coastal belt

Chiranjeevi’s party is expected to patronise the powerful Kapu community of coastal Andhra. Kapus and affiliated sub-castes make up for 22 per cent of the state’s population. Chiranjeevi is a Kapu himself, born in Narsapur in West Godavari district. In fact, it is the Kapu community that is putting pressure on Chiranjeevi to launch a party. Besides Kapus, backward classes are also keen on Chiranjeevi forming a party that can be an alternative to the Reddy-dominated Congress and Kamma-dominated TDP. In the 2004 Assembly elections, 48 per cent of Kapus voted for the Congress and 35 per cent voted for the TDP. The Kapu factor may work well in Chiranjeevi’s favour. The state Government, which has assessed the situation, is learnt to be thinking of extending reservations to Kapus and include them in the BC list. The Congress government may nip Chiranjeevi’s party in the bud if it decides to declare reservations for Kapus two-three months ahead of the 2009 elections – Indian Express