Six stars seek earthly support

VV Balakrishna
First Published : 04 Feb 2009 03:34:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 04 Feb 2009 12:16:05 PM IST

HYDERABAD: As many as six faces from the tinsel world will seek the support of voters — for themselves as well as for their respective parties — in the coming elections.

Apart from leading campaigners like the TDP’s Balakrishna and PRP founder Chiranjeevi, film personalities like RK Roja, Kavitha, Vijayasanti and UV Krishnam Raju have decided to enter the fray. Roja, who is Telugu Mahila president, has been cleared by the TDP for the Chandragiri Assembly segment in Chittoor district. She had unsuccessfully contested the Nagiri segment on the TDP ticket in the 2004 elections.

Balakrishna is likely to enter the fray in the Hindupur Assembly segment in Anantapur district. Chiranjeevi has already announced that he would contest both Tirupati Chittoor) and Mummidivaram (East Godavari) Assembly segments.

Another newcomer to the rough and tumble of electoral politics is Kavitha, who joined TDP recently. She was cleared by the party leadership for the Visakhapatnam-I Assembly segment.

Meanwhile, veteran actor and former MP Krishnam Raju has decided to contest once again from the Narasapur Lok Sabha segment on the BJP ticket. Another veteran film personality and BJP leader Naresh has been preparing the ground for some time now to fight for the Hindupur Lok Sabha seat. However, it is not sure whether he will actually take the step and square off with Balakrishna.

Vijayasanti aka Lady Amitabh, who joined TRS recently, is likely to contest a Lok Sabha seat on TRS ticket in Telangana region. For its part, the Congress too may give tickets to some film artistes.

Popular comedian Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam may enter the fray in any one of the Assembly segments in Guntur district.

And hero of yesteryear and businessman Murali Mohan has expressed his willingness to contest on a TDP ticket. D Ramanaidu, cine producer and ex-TDP MP, is again moving closer to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Any one of his family may plunge into electoral politics from Prakasam district this time. It was when NTR founded the TDP in 1982 that film personalities began foraying into State politics, and the bond between Tollywood and politics is now over a quarter century old. K Satyanarayana (Machilipatnam LS), K Srinivasa Rao (Vijayawada East), D Ramanaidu (Bapatla LS), Sarada (Tenali LS ), Babumohan (Andhol) and G Krishna (Eluru LS) have served as public representatives over these years.