Chiru seeks common symbol for PR
NEW DELHI:
Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi met Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy here on Monday and sought a common election symbol for his party, registered as a State party, in all the constituencies it proposes to contest.
He claimed that late actor-politician N.T. Rama Rao was given such a common symbol (cycle) after he presented a petition to the Commission in person though his party was only a registered party then. So was the case of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (car).
Issue of identity
The common symbol would help identity Praja Rajyam during elections as against free symbols, which differ in every constituency, creating confusion among the voters, he told the Commission. He was accompanied senior party man and former Union Minister P. Shiv Shankar.
Meanwhile, Election Commission sources said that Mr. Chiranjeevi had been informed that the Commission would examine his request and the final decision would be conveyed in a few days.
Mr. Chiranjeevi, who visited Delhi for the first time after he launched his party, told mediapersons that his party would be open for alliance only with secular parties, though no final decision has yet been taken on this issue. He ruled out the possibility of tying up with the BJP before elections.
Optimistic
What would he do if two different combinations of parties won polls in Andhra Pradesh? To this, he said, he would go according to the interests of the State. He was confident that the PR would win not less than 225 out of 294 Assembly seats in A.P.
Chiru to tour Nellore soon
Lack of proactive leaders hitting the party hard
HYDERABAD:
Praja Rajyam announced on Monday announced that party president Chiranjeevi would tour Nellore district from January 4 and 7, 2009.
According to the schedule, Mr. Chiranjeevi will start his tour from Sullurpet on January 4 and address meetings in Nayudupet, Chilamannur, Venkatagiri, Chennur and Gudur. He will cover Podalakur, Kasumur, Muttukuru, Nellore, Kovur, Buchireddypalem, Atmakur, Vijnamur and Kavali over the next two days, before concluding his tour at Alluru on Jan. 7
While they denied it initially, party leaders have now agree that the High Court’s ban on road shows by political parties was hitting them hard, primarily because Mr. Chiranjeevi was deprived of the advantage of attracting attention by travelling atop his ‘Praja Ankitha Ratham’. The road shows were stayed by the High Court because they were causing severe inconvenience to the general public.
Another factor that has been worrying the party is the lack of pro-active leaders in the districts who took upon themselves the job of ‘motivating people to come for the public meetings’. It was all too clear at the Yadagirigutta and Bhongir meetings in Nalgonda district last week. Hence, district convenors of d-hoc committees started cracking the whip, asking local leaders to leave no stone unturned in ‘motivating’ people to gather in large numbers.
At a press conference here on Monday, party spokesman Parakala Prabhakar criticised the Congress Government on the Bhimraobada issue saying that there was no reason for evicting poor people in the dead of the night. The party already had a building in Koti, apart from a facility, ostensibly to train its cadres, over a 10-acre spread in Bowenpally.
Chiranjeevi Exclusive 