| Praja Rajyam Party | |
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| Headquarters | Hyderabad |
| Politics of India Political parties Elections |
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Praja Rajyam (Telugu: ఫ్రజా రాజ్యం translation: People's Rule[1]) was a regional political party in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India, founded by Telugu cinema actor Chiranjeevi on August 26, 2008.[2]On 2011, 6 February it was officially announced that the party would be merging into Indian National Congress.[3] As announced, it was formally merged with Indian National Congress in August 2011.
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Chiranjeevi's foray into politics had been highly anticipated in media and political circles.[4][5] While it was reported that he was seeking the opinions of the people during the latter half of 2007, the media also suggested that he would announce the decision in January 2008.[4] He launched his political party as an alternative to the ruling Indian National Congress and Telugu Desam Party in his native state of Andhra Pradesh.[6] PRP merged with the Indian National Congress on 20 August 2011.
The first public meeting[2] was held by Chiranjeevi on August 26, 2008, at Avilala Tank near Tirupati. He addressed a gathering of about a million people and announced the party name and its agenda. The party flag, which has white colour to 3/4 of its height at the top, and the bottom 1/4 is filled with green colour, was unveiled at the meeting. In the middle of the flag a red coloured sun symbol is encircled with a yellow line.
The green color is an "acknowledgement to the farmers", red symbolizes "change and revolution", the yellow border around the sun symbolizes "happiness in every home", white symbolizes "clean governance and transparency"; the sun in the middle emphasizes the need for change and revolution.
The Nava Telangana Party (NTP), headed by a former minister and former TDP politician Devender Goud merged with the Prajarajyam Party. NTP was a political entity campaigning for Telangana State formation and had a strong base in the Telangana Region of Andhra Pradesh. Post-merger, Goud was made the Vice-President of Praja Rajyam Party.[7]
Chiranjeevi at one time expressed his support for the efforts to forge a "Fourth Front" at national level.
It won 18 out of 294 assembly seats. The party leader, Chiranjeevi contested in two assembly seats - Tirupathi and Palacole - and won in Tirupathi. It polled 18% votes, which is considered for debut and won 18 assembly seats. The entry of PRP made a huge vote split between the existing major parties like Congress and TDP .[8]
The Praja Rajyam Party entered 2009 general elections with promise of Separate Telangana. The PRP chief Chiranjeevi campaigned actively in Telangana region. He delivered very emotional speeches in Telangana on separate statehood. However, this strategy did not help in 2009 general elections as all the major political parties (i.e., Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti, CPI, BJP) supported the formation of separate Telengana. This lead PRP gaining only two assembly seats in the Telangana region (out 119 assembly constituencies) and no parliamentary seats.
During the all party meeting on 7 December 2009, PRP chief and PRP MLAs supported the formation of separate Telangana state.
On 9 December 2009 the Government of India agreed to the demand for a separate Telangana state for which the process would be initiated and an appropriate resolution would be moved in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly. After the Home Minister's statement, many PRP MLAs resigned in support of a continued United State.
On 6 February 2011, PRP chief Chiranjeevi announced that his party is going to be merged with Congress party after a meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The merger was proposed by A.K. Antony, Minister of Defence.[9][10] He stated that he had originally been compelled to create the PRP on a platform of fighting corruption and ensuring social justice due to the "rampant corruption" of the Congress government of the late chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ("YSR"), but that Congress now had a good record of fighting corruption elsewhere.[11]
It was asserted by political observers that Chiranjeevi's move may have been prompted by his loss of support in the wake of his own strong anti-Telangana stance in recent months.[12] It was argued in the press that Chiranjeevi's move would particularly strengthen Congress' hand in retaining the Kapu (caste) vote, as the PRP had done particularly well among them.[13]