Hyderabad:
Except helping the Congress to face the challenge thrown by former MP Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and strengthening its base to some extent in the state, the merger of Praja Rajyam with the grand old party may not cause any dramatic changes in Andhra Pradesh politics, feel
political observers.
The immediate outcome of the merger is that it will help Congress to rein in Jagan who had said the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh continues to be in office at his mercy.
"This merger is a positive sign for Congress in a long time. It is a game of survival. It is for mutual benefit," Telakapalli Ravi, a political analyst, said.
While Congress needed him to ensure the government's stability, Chiranjeevi needed an "asylum" as the Praja Rajyam is in dire straits having no sense of direction, he said.
"Chiranjeevi lacks the strategic mind to run the party. The party was going nowhere," he said.
The actor-turned politician, with his strength of 18 MLAs including himself, would provide a relief to the Kiran Kumar Reddy government which faced threat with about 25 MLAs siding
with Jagan.
However, two of the 18 Praja Rajyam MLAs, are in the camp of Jagan, while one party MLA from Telangana is in support of separate statehood demand.
Congress has 155 MLAs in 294-member House and about 25 MLAs had attended Jagan's fast in Delhi where he declared that the government is at his mercy. The simple majority is 148.
With the merger, Congress would have another advantage in the form of transfer of support base of Chiranjeevi's fans and also Kapu community, to which he belongs.
The die-hard fans of Chiranjeevi, who have no political affiliation, may continue to support him irrespective of the party he is in. However, the merger of PRP and Congress appears to have not gone down well with some leaders of Chiranjeevi's Kapu community as well.
"With Chiranjeevi entering politics, we thought Kapus can emerge independently in the state politics which have been dominated so far by the Reddys and Kammas. We lost that chance
now," a Kapu leader from Chiranjeevi's native West Godavari district said.
Praja Rajyam does not have a proper organization structure across the state and the amalgamation of the cadre depends on local conditions, Telakapalli Ravi said.
The transfer of political loyalty may not be easy at the ground level at various places as there are differences between leaders of Congress and Praja Rajyam.
In Vijayawada, PRP leader V Radhakrishna and the local Congress MLA Malladi Vishnu have serious differences. At several other places too in coastal districts, where Praja Rajyam has a good presence, there are reports of differences between the leaders of PRP and Congress.
The merger may help Telugu Desam too as there is more clarity now with regard to the state's political scene. The choice for the voters is now either Congress or Telugu Desam and Jagan who is going to launch a party, Ravi said.
Telugu Desam chief N Chandrababu Naidu has often said Congress came to power in the state in the 2009 elections with Chiranjeevi effecting a split in anti-Congress votes.