The sudden meeting between Megastar-Rajya Sabha member K Chiranjeevi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday afternoon triggered widespread speculations in the media circles.

It was not a pre-appointed meeting and Chiranjeevi received a sudden call from Sonia for a meeting at her residence. And since the meeting took place a few hours before the arrival of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to New Delhi, it assumed a lot of significance.

Sources in New Delhi said Sonia wanted to get a feedback from Chiranjeevi on the latest political developments in the state as a neutral observer and hence called him for the meeting. However, speculations were rife that she sought to know whether he was prepared to take the Chief Minister’s mantle in case Kiran is dropped from the chair. And the way Chiranjeevi left her residence silently without talking to media has led to these speculations.

It was only on Wednesday that Chiranjeevi told the media that the people wanted to see him as the Chief Minister. Though he said Kiran would continue as CM till 2014, his statement has raised many an eyebrow. However, it is not clear whether Chiranjeevi is ready to accept the post if it is offered to him.