Telugu film stars fail to shine in polls

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.