Movie stars not favoured politically in Telangana; do they really matter?

Amit Shah met Jr NTR. JP Nadda met actor Nithin and retired cricketer Mithali Raj. Maybe a few more celebrities are also in the pipeline to take a 'holy dip in the Ganges' of the BJP.

Barring Vijayashanti in the first-ever election and Babu Mohan in 2014 Assembly polls, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) hardly entertained any film personality or someone who is a celebrity otherwise like a sportsperson too in politics.

Do the actors really enhance the vote share of a political party? Are they actually a value-add? Why do the parties need the celluloid stars? Who is the gallery for the parties to play to?

For sure, Telangana is not a canvas for these celebrities, especially film stars. If someone is under the impression that those donning the grease paint would add a dash of a glamour to politics and bring in the critical mass of votes, it may not be the truth. It has been proven on more than one occasion that the reality is otherwise. A ballpark calculation proved that the difference of vote share between the TDP, under NT Rama Rao, and the Congress is more in Andhra region, as opposed to Telangana.

In 1985, the TDP polled 52.1 percent votes in Andhra against 39.4 percent polled by the Congress, while the same was 35.6 percent (TDP) and 33.3 percent (Congress) in Telangana. When the Congress. Though the TDP candidates were identified more as independents in 1983 in its maiden election, the phenomenon is on the similar lines of the succeeding election. The same way, Andhra did not drift too much away from the TDP (that secured 41.7 percent of votes) in 1989 as opposed to the Congress (49.1 percent). Telangana, however, tilted heavily towards Congress (43.6 percent) compared to the TDP (27.4 percent). A real political election of 1994 tilted the scales in favour the TDP with a vote difference of 10 percent compared to the Congress.

Unless one is juberous about their political math, one wouldn't even take a dekko at them. The desperation amply makes their political despondency more than clear. The BJP's dabbling with movie artistes is giving rise to a lot of speculation.

For now, one question lurking in the brains of enthusiasts is that whether the BJP dangled the proverbial carrot to lure Jr NTR for its Andhra turf wicket. Reports that he politely declined the offer may have left the BJP leadership keeping its fingers crossed. But, the TDP, which apprehended a serious threat and viewed the development as a potential factor to worry about, breathed easy for now. Some leaders of the TDP went on cooing that the Home Minister's meet with Jr NTR was meant only to laud him for his action Rajamouli's latest flick RRR. How many would buy this is an easy guess, for the rush in self-consolation was too embarrassing even for even analysts to digest.

For, the meet ignited a embers within TDP, for the smoke billowed clouded the Andhra's opposition with an impression that Jr NTR would be pitted against the TDP as the BJP's Man Friday. Ironically, the 'Young Tiger', as he is popularly called, could not garner big victories for the TDP when he had campaigned for it in 2009 Assembly elections.

When it comes to actor Nithin, he's a lead actor (hero) in the movies he donned a role. But surely, he cannot be bracketed alongside Jr NTR. Even if the BJP adorns Nithin with some political position, his stock wouldn't soar as the Telangana society clearly distinguishes between entertainment and elections.

In fact, Andhra too is slowly moving in the same direction. Megastar Chiranjeevi was a hero with the highest fan base in Telugu States when he had launched his Praja Rajyam in 2008. However, people preferred YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Chiranjeevi himself lost one of the two seats he had contested and 17 others out of 294 from his party made it to the Assembly.

The flock of Praja Rajyam came in handy to provide oxygen to the Congress when YS Jaganmohan Reddy turned impudent consequent upon the denial of the top job held by his late father to him as a successor. Chiranjeevi's party polled 16.3 percent of the vote share (68,63,509 votes in all), in the undivided AP. Praja Rajyam surprisingly won two seats in Telangana — Balkonda and Nirmal, while the remaining 16 were elected from the Andhra region. The party disappeared after Chiranjeevi merged it with Congress.

Chiranjeevi's younger brother Pawan Kalyan, with his histrionics and theatrics, is still in tatters as no leader worth his salt joined hands with him in the last 9 years.

His much-touted Janasena remained a "sleeping partner" in 2014 general elections. Though Pawan Kalyan vigorously campaigned swinging emotionally, rattling the mic from extreme left to right - akin to his political orientation, Janasena could not cut any ice with the electorate. His party secured a niggardly 5.53 percent of total votes polled, as opposed to the YSR Congress party's 49.95, TDP's 39.17 percent.

And, he has dismal presence in Telangana.

Character artiste Kongara Jaggaiah, Kaikala Satyanarayana, heroes Krishna, Krishnam Raju, Murali Mohan, actresses Sharada, Jamuna, and Jayasudha, star producer Rama Naidu, made a political collage at some point in time or the other. But all have their footprint only in Andhra and Ceded areas, but not in Nizam area which gave them riches kinematically, but never politically.

As far as Telugu hinterland is concerned — be it Telangana or Andhra, the only one who was considered socially sensitive with a genuine concern for the poor and the downtrodden was NT Rama Rao.

Therefore, the prospect of any movie actors dabbling with politics or optics with them may not totter the Telangana Rashtra Samithi which has entrenched itself in Telangana society.