Chiranjeevi is bent upon fielding a family member in Tirupati seat in the event of his elevation to Rajya Sabha. Chiru is likely to be nominated to Rajya Sabha by Congress Party in April next when RS elections are due in the state. Congress had promised him a ministerial berth to Chiru in the central cabinet.
Speculation has been rife as to who will succeed Chiru in Tirupati if he vacates the seat. PRP group wants to ensure Tirupati seat is not allotted outsiders and anyone recommended by Chiru should be given the ticket. Tirupati has lot of Balija voters who identify themselves with Chiranjeevi community.
To boost the claim, Chiru’s camp is considering Nagababu as the most likely candidate. Nagababu has been active in the party since incpetion, though behind the screen most of the time. Given that Allu Aravind and Pawan Kalyan became controversial within the party for various reasons, Nagababu is being seen as the ideal candidate.
Since Nagababu is from the family, he will have better chances at the hustings. And setback in Tirupati will erode the political image of Chiru at this juncture and hence this focus on Tirupati, say party insiders.
