The congress leadership has reportedly decided to make the Tirupati MLA and mega star Chiranjeevi deputy leader of the congress legislature party in the state assembly to enable him sit in the front lines of the treasury benches.

First timers in the assembly will have to sit in the back benches as seniors generally occupy the front benches. The PRP has completed the merger formalities in the assembly also but the Speaker has not announced the final decision as yet.

If the Speaker announces his decision immediately, the mega star will have to share the back benches with his first time colleagues. Before the Speaker announces the formalization of the PRP merger in the assembly, the actor-turned politician is likely to be made the Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the assembly and it will enable him to occupy the front benches along with CM Kirankumar reddy and some senior ministers.

Congress sources, however, are of the opinion that the Speaker’s announcement on the formalization of the PRP merger and the actor’s appointment as Deputy Leader may come simultaneously too.

Irrespective of the likely timing of the announcement, the question now being raised in political circles is whether the congress leadership has dropped the idea of inducting him into the Central Cabinet. (JUBS)