The formal merger of the Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress will most likely be postponed, since Congress president Sonia Gandhi was forced to rush to the United States for a surgery.
The merger, scheduled to take place between 7 and 10 August, would have been formalized after PRP President K Chiranjeevi joining the Congress party in Sonia Gandhi's presence.
The AICC chief had already invited Chiranjeevi to New Delhi to meet her any time between 7 and 10 August to formally take primary membership of the party.
Accordingly, it was planned that the Tirupati MLA would visit the National capital on 7 August and take the Congress membership in New Delhi.
Other PRP leaders, including MLAs, were to formalize the merger at Gandhi Bhavan, APCC's headquarters, subsequently.
However, all these plans have gone awry after Sonia Gandhi was forced to leave for the US for a surgery.
In a statement, party General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi had told media persons that Sonia had been advised surgery following a medical condition. He did not elaborate on what the medical condition was.
Dwivedi, however, said Sonia Gandhi would be away for 2 to 3 weeks.
The PRP has already technically merged with the Congress, and a grand public meeting was planned by its chief, which was postponed till the formal merger of the party.
However, the current situation in the state over Telangana has affected Chiranjeevi's plans to organise the meeting.
In view of the current turmoil in the state, the Congress High Command had advised Chiranjeevi to avoid pomp and join the ruling party in the presence of Sonia Gandhi, but the sudden development has left the merger uncertain. (INN)