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While various parties were engaged in a serious exercise to identify a suitable partner for entering into an alliance, the emerge nce of Praja Rajyam party, floated by the actor-turned politician Chiranjeevi, on the political horizon has changed the whole scenario.Suddenly attracted by the Praja Rajyam, every other party tried to make overtures for a possible future tie-up with it.
However, the initial bliss among various parties for the new 'star' party lost its fizz as Praja Rajyam and its founder-president Chiranjeevi failed to come out with a clear-cut stand on crucial issues, especially with regard to the creation of a separate Telangana State. Since the region has 119 Assembly seats, the Telangana issue, undoubtedly, will be a major factor in deciding the political fortunes of any party.
It is pertinent to note here that Mr. K. Chandrasekhar Rao, a disgruntled Telugu Desam leader, launched the Telangana Rashtra Samithi six years ago with the main objective of achieving statehood for Telangana. Another important TDP rebel, Mr. T. Devender Goud, too floated Nava Telangana Praja Party recently with the same agenda. As the Telangana sentiment gained momentum among the people of the region and the demand for a separate State became more vocal, the issue became a focal point for political tie-up among various parties. The TRS with its single-point programme of separate Telangana State, has suddenly become the most sought after party for a poll alliance.
True to the adage "all is fair in love and war", some political parties which were at loggerheads vied with each other to enter into an electoral alliance with an eye on the ensuing elections in 2009. And the TRS was on the top of the shopping list of all the parties. Even the Congress and Telugu Desam parties, which faced the wrath of the TRS for being the stumbling blocks for the creation of a Telangana State, did not hesitate to forgean alliance with the TRS. With the Praja Rajyam emerging on the political scene, the alliance politics received a boost with all the parties trying to strike a deal with it.
In the beginning, the Left parties seem to have almost clinched the deal with the Praja Rajyam, hoping that it would make its stance clear on the Telangana issue. Even the TRS seems to have been floored by the euphoria generated by the new party and began moves for a tie-up. Likewise, the BJP also toyed with the idea of an alliance with Praja Rajyam. In fact, the top leaders of all these parties continued their efforts directly or through their emissaries. However, to the surprise of all these parties, those running the show in the new party have discreetly hinted that Praja Rajyam was planning to enter the poll battle on its own. Besides, it has not made up its mind on the issue and also not formulated so far its polices and programmes.
Thus the wavering and confused political stance of Chiranjeevi and his Praja Rajyam has virtually driving away other parties to look for other alternatives for electoral alliance.
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