In a major jolt to Congress party, actor and former MP Vijayashanthi is likely to return to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) after her brief stint with the grand old party and Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). Reports claim that BJP national secretary Muralidhar Rao and senior RSS leaders recently met the actor to complete the negotiations.
BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao hinted at the possibility of Vijayashanthi joining the BJP. He told The News Minute that the date and time of her formal induction is yet to be finalised. He also claimed that many Congress leaders are in touch with the BJP and may switch sides but refused to disclose their names.
Given her popularity in Maharashtra, Vijayashanthi’s first assignment as star campaigner for BJP may come during the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Vijayashanthi, who is known as the ‘lady Amitabh’, began her political career with BJP in 1998.
Riding on her popularity, the BJP fielded her against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in 1999 Lok Sabha election. However, she withdrew from the race after Gandhi decided to contest the polls from Bellary.
In 2009, her political career reached the tipping point when she floated her own political party, Talli Telangana Party. But owing to lack of strength, she later merged it with the TRS. In the 2009 general election, she got elected as a Member of Parliament from the Medak constituency on TRS ticket. She also played a key role in the agitation for a separate Telangana state.
Soon she split with the KCR and joined Congress party. Her charisma as star campaigner did not work and the Congress alliance failed to stop the KCR juggernaut in the state Assembly polls. She continued as star campaigner and adviser to the election campaign committee of Telangana PCC.
Life has come full circle for the National Film Award-winning actress and former MP Vijayashanthi with indications of her joining the BJP. The actor is awaiting her comeback on the silver screen after a long gap of 13 years in Mahesh Babu’s upcoming film, Sarileru Neekevvaru.