'It's Been Many Years Since...': Why Chiranjeevi Endorsed NDA in Andhra Pradesh

'Megastar' Chiranjeevi had attended the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration ceremony on 22 January.

On-screen, he is a megastar, but in the game of politics, he has had some hits and misses.

Nevertheless, actor Chiranjeevi Konidela has quite the fan base in the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana – which is, perhaps, why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been 'trying to woo him' these past few months, said political experts. 

The BJP has been successful, too. On Sunday, 21 April, in a video message, Chiranjeevi endorsed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates in Andhra Pradesh. The BJP is in alliance with Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party and Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party in the state. Kalyan is Chiranjeevi's brother.

"It has been several years since I talked about politics. The main reason for speaking on state politics now after a gap of so many years is my younger brother and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan."

Chiranjeevi in his video message, as quoted by HT

But earlier this year, too, there were speculations that Chiranjeevi would join hands with the BJP. Why?

1. The actor was awarded the Padma Vibhushan this year (his second Padma award).

2. He was invited to the consecration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir on 22 January.

Moreover, on 3 February, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the co-founder of the BJP, LK Advani, would be awarded the Bharat Ratna, Chiranjeevi tweeted:

‘Bharat Ratna’ is undoubtedly a greatly deserving honour to Shri LK Advani ji. He is one of the most distinguished statesmen our country has ever seen. His contribution to nation building since Pre Independence era and over several decades is invaluable. Stalwarts such as Advani…

— Chiranjeevi Konidela (@KChiruTweets) February 3, 2024

In 2008, Chiranjeevi launched the Praja Rajyam Party in united Andhra Pradesh, and in the 2009 Assembly elections, the party managed to win 18 of the 294 seats. Two years later, however, he merged the party with the Congress after talks with Sonia Gandhi. The idea then was to fend off now-Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSR Congress Party. 

Chiranjeevi was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2012 and served as a Union Minister of State. But since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the actor has stayed away from active politics. He still appears to be a member of Congress – which has very little presence in Andhra Pradesh today – although he has not attended any of the party's meetings in years.  

So, will gaining the support of a personality like Chiranjeevi help the BJP – which polled less than NOTA votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh? The answer is not so simple.

First, Why Chiranjeevi?

Prof K Nageshwar, former MLC and political analyst, told The Quint that the BJP's purported attempt to rope in Chiranjeevi "is part of its strategy to reach out to the 'influencers' of society. They [the BJP] identify the influencers of different parts of the country who are very popular. It is part of the BJP's outreach programme."

He said the party does this 'outreach' in two ways:

"One type of outreach involves top BJP leaders visiting these influencers and speaking to them. The second type is about respecting these influencers – say, by giving them awards or Rajya Sabha nominations. The party has previously nominated PT Usha and Ilaiyaraaja to the Rajya Sabha, though they are not traditional BJP personalities."

In July 2022, the BJP nominated four Rajya Sabha MPs – PT Usha, Ilaiyaraaja, Veerendra Heggade, and Vijayendra Prasad. Incidentally, all of them were from the southern states.

Prof Nageshwar opined that the BJP is trying to focus on influential people in South India as it does not have a traditional hold in this region. "The BJP does not have an organisational presence in South India, barring Karnataka and certain pockets of Telangana. Its Hindutva politics also doesn't sell here, as is evident from various electoral aspects," he added. 

"So, they are trying to influence the people in South India by reaching out to the influencers. The moment they show respect to Chiranjeevi, his millions of fans may automatically develop a soft-corner for the BJP. After all, Chiranjeevi's influence transcends the Telugu states."

Another reason why the BJP would want Chiranjeevi in its fold is the Kapu votebase, experts opined. 

The land-owning Kapu caste is one of the three major dominant castes in the state – Reddy and Kamma being the other two. Velamas and Goudas are also influential in Andhra Pradesh.

"There are two major parties in Andhra Pradesh (the YSRCP and Telugu Desam Party) that are led by Reddys and Kammas, respectively. So, Kapus have unfulfilled political ambitions. Naturally, the BJP would try to tap into this votebase," opined Prof Nageshwar.

Kapus, who are largely agrarian, mostly reside in the East and West Godavari districts. It is important to note that in 2022, the Prime Minister inaugurated a bronze statue of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in West Godavari, for which Chiranjeevi was also invited.

Can Chiranjeevi 'Outreach' Help the BJP?

One of the objectives of the TDP-JSP-BJP alliance in Andhra Pradesh is to attract both Kamma and Kapu votes; Naidu belongs to the Kamma caste and Pawan Kalyan belongs to the Kapu caste.

Initially, when the alliance was still under talks, the BJP wasn't too keen to team up with Naidu for various reasons, though it wanted to align with Kalyan.

Prof Nageshwar explains: "The BJP's long-term strategy is to occupy the political space that the TDP may vacate in the future. That may be why it was shying away from joining the alliance. The ruling YSRCP's social base – which comprises minorities and the marginalised (mainly Dalit Christians) – may be difficult for the BJP."

"But on the other hand, Kammas, which is the social base of the TDP, is politically and socially an entrepreneurial caste, which the BJP is keen on tapping into in the future."

Experts said that the JSP choosing TDP first derailed the BJP's long-term plans, eventually forcing the party to join the alliance.

"Because with just Chiranjeevi, it is hard to get Kapu votes," opined Prof Nageshwar. "Chiranjeevi's influence transcends Kapus, he is not the only icon of Kapus. With Pawan Kalyan joining hands with Naidu, there was no way Chiranjeevi alone could get the Kapu votes for the BJP," he argued.

Speaking to The Quint, political commentator Koteswara Rao concurred, saying:

"The fact remains that the Kapu caste doesn't vote for just one party. There are various Kapu leaders in different parties, and the Kapu votes are divided between the JSP, TDP, and YSRCP. So, if Chiranjeevi alone appeals to them, it won't work in favour of the BJP." 

Political Ambitions

Last year, Chiranjeevi had told the media that he would like to stay in films, and not politics.

"My younger brother (Pawan Kalyan) has launched his party and is active in politics. My bond with him will continue despite the fact that I am in no way connected with his party's activities," he said in January 2023, as per TOI.

"I will not return to politics at any cost and at any stage. I feel I am not fit for present-day politics," he further said.

Commenting on the initial speculation that Chiranjeevi could join the BJP, Prof Nageshwar said: "If Chiranjeevi could abandon Praja Rajyam Party despite getting 71 lakh votes and 18 MLAs, would he take up the responsibility of a party like the BJP, which got less than NOTA votes (in 2019)? If he had so much patience, he would join Jana Sena, because he is on good terms with his brother."

Koteswara Rao, meanwhile, opined that "even if Chiranjeevi joins hands with the BJP, it will not help the party."

"Chiranjeevi is politically outdated. He may be a 'megastar', but his relevance is questionable in politics after he abandoned the Praja Rajyam Party. It would be difficult to revive that prominence in Andhra Pradesh politics," he further said.

(This story was originally published on 5 February 2024. It has been updated and republished after Chiranjeevi endorsed the NDA in Andhra Pradesh.)