Telugu actor Krishna to campaign for Congress

Hyderabad, July 13 (IANS) Veteran Telugu actor and former MP G. Krishna Sunday said that he will campaign for the ruling Congress party in Andhra Pradesh in the ensuing elections to the state assembly and the Lok Sabha.

The actor Sunday called on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and assured him that he would work for the victory of the party in the elections scheduled to be held in March next year.

After the meeting, Krishna told newspersons that he had always been a Congressman and continued his relations with the party despite not being active in politics for a long time.

Krishna's meeting with the chief minister assumed significance in view of Telugu super star Chiranjeevi's plans to launch a new political party next month. The proposed party is likely to pose a serious challenge to both the Congress and the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Krishna was elected to the Lok Sabha as a Congress candidate from Eluru in 1989. But after the defeat in the subsequent polls, he virtually retired from politics.

The meeting was also significant in view of speculations that Congress could field Krishna's son and popular young actor Mahesh Babu to take on Chiranjeevi, the number one actor of the Telugu industry.

However, Krishna said Mahesh Babu has no immediate plans to take a plunge into politics.

Last month, actor couple Rajasekhar and Jeevitha had called on the chief minister and announced that they would work for the Congress party in the ensuing elections.