Chiranjeevi

New Delhi, May 15: Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, who is expected to launch a political party next month, has approached the CPM and the CPI for an alliance.

The Left parties, who have so far resisted the charm of mainstream stars, are open to the tie-up if Chiranjeevi’s “programmes and policies” match theirs, sources said.

While the first condition — a strong position against communalism — is not difficult to meet, CPM sources said they would also like to know the new party’s stand on Telengana, where bypolls are due later this month.

Chiranjeevi’s plan to launch a party and offer of alliance was conveyed to the state CPM leadership by the film star’s close aide Puchalapalli Mitra last week.

Mitra has been holding discussions with CPM and CPI state leaders in Andhra Pradesh for the past couple of months.

“We have been conveyed that Chiranjeevi is floating a political party, and the Left and his party would like to have an alliance for the cause of the poor, the needy and the downtrodden,” a CPM leader said, adding that they were waiting to find out details of his plans.

The CPM already has an understanding with the Telugu Desam in Andhra, and the two parties are sharing seats for the Telengana bypolls. Four Lok Sabha and 18 Assembly seats will vote on May 19.

Left sources say an important test for a possible alliance lies in Telengana. The CPM is opposed to the formation of a separate Telengana state.

Chiranjeevi has yet to make his stand on the issue public, and Left leaders believe he might wait for the bypoll results before deciding which way to go on statehood.