PRP to merge with Congress on Aug 20

A file picture of PRP president K. Chiranjeevi with AP Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in Hyderabad. Photo: Nagara Gopal.

The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) will officially be merged with Congress on August 20, according to PRP president Chiranjeevi.

“We decided to officially merge Praja Rajyam with Congress on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajeev Gandhi.

On August 20 and 21, senior party (PRP) leaders will take Congress party membership at Gandhi Bhavan,” Mr. Chiranjeevi told reporters in Hyderabad.

Mr. Chiranjeevi was earlier scheduled to meet AICC chief Sonia Gandhi between August 7 and 10, to formally take primary membership of Congress. However since Ms. Gandhi is undergoing treatment in USA, the PRP chief is expected to take Congress membership from Mr. Rahul Gandhi.

The PRP, which has 18 seats in the 294-seat State Assembly, had announced the merger plans in February.

The PRP has already technically merged with the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh, even though a public meeting could not be organised to formalise the amalgamation.

The current political uncertainty in the state over the bifurcation issue has jeopardised Mr. Chiranjeevi’s plans to organise a grand meeting with Ms. Sonia or Mr. Rahul Gandhi to formalise the merger.