Telugu film stars failed to shine in polls
May 17th, 2009 - 7:53 pm ICT by IANS
Hyderabad, May 17 (IANS) Twelve Telugu film personalities contested Lok Sabha and state assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh this year, but only four - megastar Chiranjeevi, Vijayashanthi, Jayasudha and film producer Kodali Venkateshwara Rao - tasted success.
Vijayashanthi and Rao have been in politics for quite some time, while Chiranjeevi bid adieu to his film career and forayed into politics recently by floating Praja Rajyam Party (PRP).
Vijayashanthi, known as Lady Amitabh in the Telugu film industry, won from the Medak parliamentary seat. The other three won but not with comfortable margins.
The PRP received a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections but its founder and president Chiranjeevi is among its 18 legislators elected to the assembly.
The superstar is representing Tirupati, the temple town where he launched his party in August last year after a 30-year film career. He had contested from two constituencies but lost from Palacole in his native West Godavari district. Palacole was considered one of the strongholds of the film star as he belongs to the Kapu community, a dominant section in the coastal district.
Jayasudha won the assembly elections from the Secunderabad constituency. She had joined the Congress party only recently. Rao had contested the elections from the Gudiwada assembly constituency as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate.
Allu Aravind, Chiranjeevi’s brother-in-law who has made several Telugu and Hindi films including Aamir Khan starrer “Ghajini”, lost from the Ankapalli parliamentary constituency.
Other well-known film personalities - actor-producer Krishnam Raju and actor Murali Mohan - had contested from the Rajahmundry Lok Sabha constituency. They too faced defeat.
Krishnam Raju joined PRP a few months ago and was confident of a big victory.
Krishnam Raju and Murali Mohan, the TDP candidate, are friends. Murali Mohan had in fact said that he would be happy if he won, but would be happier if Krishnam Raju won instead.
Other prominent losers include actress Roja, also president of TDP women’s wing, from the Chandragiri assembly constituency; TDP leader Babu Mohan from Andhol reserved constituency; actor-writer Posani Krishna Murali from Chilakaluripet assembly seat; and film producer and TDP leader Chengala Venkata Rao from Payakaraopet (SC) assembly seat.
It has been a second defeat for Roja and Babu Mohan after the loss in the 2004 assembly elections.
- War of words between Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu - Oct 14, 2009
- Some film stars shone in polls, others bit the dust - May 16, 2009
- Krishnam Raju, Murali Mohan in star fight for Rajahmundry - Apr 04, 2009
- Three-cornered contest in second phase (Poll curtainraiser - Andhra Pradesh) - Apr 22, 2009
- Chiranjeevi, Jayaprakash Narayan among new faces in Andhra assembly - May 17, 2009
- Chiranjeevi, Renuka, four others file papers for Rajya Sabha - Mar 19, 2012
- Two PRP leaders sworn in as Andhra ministers - Jan 19, 2012
- Chiru, a superstar whose political party proved a flop (Profile) - Feb 06, 2011
- Over 60 percent polling marked in Andhra Pradesh (Second Lead) - Apr 23, 2009
- Chiranjeevi, five others elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha - Mar 22, 2012
- Clashes mar second phase of polling in Andhra Pradesh (Lead) - Apr 23, 2009
- One killed in Andhra poll violence, over 60 percent turnout (Third Lead) - Apr 23, 2009
- Polling begins in Andhra Pradesh - Apr 23, 2009
- Congress sweeps Lok Sabha polls in Andhra (Second Lead) - May 16, 2009
- YSR Congress elated over first win outside Kadapa - Mar 21, 2012
Tags: aamir khan, aravind, assembly elections, chiranjeevi, coastal district, congress party, film personalities, hindi films, jayasudha, krishnam raju, lok sabha elections, megastar chiranjeevi, parliamentary constituency, parliamentary seat, rajahmundry, sabha constituency, telugu desam party, telugu film industry, temple town, west godavari district