Praja Rajyam Party | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | PRP |
| President | Chiranjeevi |
| Founder | Chiranjeevi |
| Founded | 26 August 2008 (17 years ago) (2008-08-26) |
| Dissolved | 6 February 2011 (15 years ago) (2011-02-06) |
| Merged into | Indian National Congress |
| Headquarters | Hyderabad,Andhra Pradesh, India (present-dayTelangana) |
| Youth wing | Yuva Rajyam[1] |
| Women's wing | Mahila Rajyam[2] |
| Peasants wing | Karshaka Rajyam[3] |
| Labour wing | Karmika Rajyam |
| Colours | Green |
| Election symbol | |
| |
| Party flag | |
 | |
ThePraja Rajyam Party (abbr.PRP;transl. People's Rule Party) was a regionalpolitical party in the Indian state ofAndhra Pradesh. It was founded byTelugu film actorChiranjeevi on 26 August 2008, with the stated aim of providing a people centric alternative to the existing political establishment.[4] The party positioned itself on a platform of social justice, anti-corruption and inclusive development but struggled to translate popular enthusiasm into sustained electoral success.[5] Following its poor performance in the 2009 elections, PRP gradually declined and ultimately merged with theIndian National Congress (INC) in 2011.
Th party was founded by Chiranjeevi, was launched on 26 August 2008 at a large public meeting inTirupati, Andhra Pradesh,[6] where the party name which translates to "People's Rule" inTelugu was announced along with its agenda.[7][8][9]
The party flag, unveiled at the event, consists of white occupying the top three quarters and green the bottom quarter, with a central red sun encircled by a yellow border, the colors were stated to represent clean governance and transparency (white), acknowledgment of farmers (green), change and revolution (red) and happiness in every home (yellow), while the sun emphasised energy and renewal.[10][11]
In February 2009,Tulla Devender Goud, former minister and the leader ofNava Telangana Praja Party, announced the merger with the PRP. NTPP was a political faction split from theTelugu Desam Party (TDP) campaigning for Telangana state formation. Post-merger, Goud was made the vice-president of Praja Rajyam Party.[12] However, after the 2009 elections, in which Goud contested unsuccessfully, he resigned from PRP and re-joined the TDP in August 2009.[13]
Chiranjeevi's meetings withAmar Singh andSanjay Dutt of theSamajwadi Party (SP) and outreach to parties such as theRashtriya Janata Dal led byLalu Prasad Yadav,[14] indicated support for efforts to form a Fourth Front as an alternative to theUnited Progressive Alliance,National Democratic Alliance and the existingThird Front which included both TDP andBahujan Samaj Party, rivals of the PRP and SP.[15][16] Reports also suggested PRP support forSharad Pawar as a prime ministerial candidate.[17]
In the 2009 general elections, the party contested using a rail engine as its election symbol, winning 18 seats with 16.32% vote share in the2009 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, with Chiranjeevi winning inTirupati and losing inPalakollu, one of the constituencies he contested and drawing blank in the2009 Indian general election in Andhra Pradesh, primarily drawing support from theKapu community in coastal Andhra regions, while performing poorly in Telangana, partly due to its stance in favour of a united Andhra Pradesh.[18][19][20]
The party contributed significantly to the fragmentation of anti-incumbency votes, particularly inCoastal Andhra.[21] This division weakened the TDP-ledMaha Kutami alliance, which collectively won 107 seats with 34.76% vote share. TDP leaderN. Chandrababu Naidu publicly attributed his party's losses in several constituencies by narrow margins to the PRP and other smaller parties such asLok Satta, arguing that they diluted the anti-establishment vote.[22][23][24] This fragmentation enabled the INC to retain power with 156 seats and a vote share of around 36.55%, despite facing strong anti-incumbency sentiment and a reduced seat tally compared to its 185 seats in 2004. Overall, although opposition parties together polled nearly 63.2% of the vote against the INC's 36.8%, the lack of consolidation exacerbated by PRP's regional appeal allowed the INC to form the government underY. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.[25]
Following the election, theElection Commission of India allotted a rising sun as its permanent electoral symbol.[26]
In 2010 Rajya Sabha elections, the party extended support to the INC candidates, directing its MLAs to vote for them. This signaled growing alignment between the parties ahead of their merger in 2011.[27]
On 6 February 2011, Chiranjeevi announced that his party would be merged with the INC after a meeting with its chiefSonia Gandhi. The merger was proposed by the thenMinister of Defence,A. K. Antony.[28] He stated that he had originally been compelled to create the PRP on a platform of fighting corruption and ensuringsocial justice but that Congress now had a good record of fighting corruption elsewhere.[29]
It was asserted by political observers that Chiranjeevi's move may have been prompted by his loss of support in the wake of his own strong anti-Telangana stance in previous months.[30] It was argued in the press that Chiranjeevi's move would particularly strengthen Congress's hand in retaining the Kapu vote share, as the PRP had done particularly well among them.[31]
After the merger, Chiranjeevi resigned from his membership to theAndhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in March 2012, following his nomination and election to the Rajya Sabha on an INC ticket.[32]
Later that year, on 28 October 2012, he was inducted into the Union Cabinet asMinister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism in theSecond Manmohan Singh ministry, which he held until May 2014.[33]
| Year | Lok Sabha | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 15th | Chiranjeevi | 40 | 0 / 543 |  new | 15.67 | new | 6,590,046 | Lost | [34] |
| Year | Lok Sabha | Party leader | Seats contested | Seats won | Change in seats | (%) of votes | Vote swing | Popular vote | Outcome | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 13th | Chiranjeevi | 288 | 18 / 294 | new | 16.32 | new | 6,863,509 | Others | [1][2] |
{{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title= (help){{cite web}}:|first= has generic name (help)| International | |
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| National | |
