| ‘Rail engine in miniature got smudged on EVMs and confused voters’ |
Chiranjeevi ducks spelling out alternative symbol
‘PR organisation to be revamped from village level’
HYDERABAD: Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi on Saturday announced that the party would seek a change of its election symbol-rail engine- while applying for recognition from the Election Commission of India.
The party will make this request along with its application for recognition based on the 17.1 per cent of votes its candidates secured in the just-concluded general elections. The party felt that the rail engine, when reduced in the size for display on the electronic voting machine, looked like a black blob which confused voters. Mr. Chiranjeevi declined to name an alternative choice.
After three days of intensive reviewing that witnessed a blame game with senior leaders passing the buck to each other, the party’s political affairs committee (PAC) adopted a resolution stating that it was a combination of factors that was responsible for the PR’s dismal performance.
Mr. Chiranjeevi declared that lack of time to take the message of change, the complex nature of the term ‘social justice’, grossly inadequate organisational infrastructure and improper selection of candidates were responsible for the poor performance. He admitted that there was a vast change in the political situation since 1982-83 when NTR rode to power within nine months of launching his party.
He said that even if 50 per cent of the people who turned up for his roadshows had voted for the Praja Rajyam, the party would have scored at the hustings.
The PR president said that the party organisation from the PAC to the village level would be revamped. But this did not mean that the existing committees would be scrapped as reported in a section of the media. Wherever necessary, new and younger leadership would be inducted and existing leaders given other duties.
In reply to a question about the party’s future prospects, Mr. Chiranjeevi categorically said that the PR secured 70 lakh votes which was no mean achievement. In view of this huge support, the party would go to the people and fight for their problems, he said.
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