The Hindu : Front Page : Balakrishna ready to challenge Purandeswari

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Thursday, Dec 25, 2008
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Balakrishna ready to challenge Purandeswari

B.V.S. Bhaskar

Time will decide whether I will become Chief Minister, says actor

— Photo: S. Rambabu

ROUSING RECEPTION: Film actor and TDP leader Nandamuri Balakrishna besieged by fans at Madhurapudi airport on Wednesday.

KONDAMUR (E. Godavari): Telugu film star Nandamuri Balakrishna said here on Wednesday that he was willing to contest against Union Minister and his sister D. Purandeswari in the next elections if the Telugu Desam Party asked him to do so.

The actor’s statement was reminiscent of the party’s president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s famous statement in 1982 when he was a Minister in the Congress government that he was ready to contest against his father-in-law N. T. Rama Rao if the party so desired.

Mr. Balakrishna, who was here for the shooting of a film, also stated in reply to a question at a press conference that the time would decide whether he would become Chief Minister of the State, of course, if the TDP leadership took a unanimous decision to that effect.

The TDP leader said he was ready to contest from any constituency, but wanted to be pitted against his sister Ms. Purandeswari.

When a reporter said that many youth in the TDP and his fans wanted to see him as Chief Minister, the film actor said in his typical style, “Time will decide everything. The TDP high command has to take a unanimous decision and people have to give their full support as it was done in the case of his late father NTR.”

However, Mr. Balakrishna said that posts were not important for the Nandamuri family. People had supported the family in the film industry as well as in politics without any posts.

Replying to another question, he said that the main contest of the Telugu Desam would be with the Congress and not with any other party in the next elections as the impact of Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam was not to the extent expected.

To continue acting

To another question, he said he would continue in films even if he was busy in politics. He would follow the schedules given by directors and producers while devoting the night time to party work. He said his immediate task was to settle differences among party leaders in the district.

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