Polls 2011: Chiranjeevi to campaign for Congress in Karnataka

Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi will campaign tomorrow for the Congress party in the by-election to Bangarupalem assembly constituency in Karnataka.

Union minister of state for railways K Muniyappa invited Chiranjeevi to campaign for the Congress as the latter has a lot of fan following in Karnataka. There is also a sizeable Telugu population in the constituency.

The actor-turned-politician will also campaign for the Congress-DMK combine in the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, PRP sources said.

AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president KV Tangabalu spoke to Chiranjeevi separately over phone and requested him to campaign for the party.

In fact, Chiranjeevi had a meeting with AICC chief Sonia Gandhi a few days ago wherein she requested him to be a star campaigner for the Congress in the Tamil Nadu elections.

Accordingly, Chiranjeevi will campaign in Tamil Nadu on April 8 and 9. He is later expected to campaign for the Congress in Kharagpur in West Bengal, where there are a large number of Telugu voters.

The Praja Rajyam Party will be formally merged with the Congress mid-May after the completion of Assembly elections in five states. Chiranjeevi has invited Sonia and Rahul Gandhi for a massive public meeting proposed to be held near Vijayawada for the merger function.