Even as the film star turned politician Chiranjeevi was worried over getting an electoral symbol allotted by the Election Commission, his Praja Rajyam party got a shot in the arm on Thursday with two legislators of Telugu Desam party including the party general secretary joining the PRP.
The TDP general secretary and legislator from Srikakulam district Kala Venkat Rao and another legislator from the same district Kambala Jogulu today announced their resignation from the state legislative assembly as well as the primary membership of the TDP.
They along with hundreds of their supporters formally joined the Praja Rajyam party in Srikakulam district with PRP President Chiranjeevi welcoming them at a tele conference.
All these leaders have held the TDP Parliamentary Party leader K Yerran Naidu for their move to quit the TDP. They alleged that Yerran Naidu had tried to undermine their position in the party and among the masses.
"The TDP has now become a party with out leaders or workers in Srikakulam district", said Kala Venkat Rao. Showering praise on Chiranjeevi as a leader who brought a new promise in to politics, Venkat Rao said that Praja Rajyam will do justice to the weaker sections and the backward classes. "Chiranjeevi is like a blank paper", he said.
Chirajeevi's worry is caused by the fact that at present PRP is only a registered party and not a recognized political party. Any new party becomes a recognized party and gets an election symbol on the basis of the votes it gets in the first elections it contests. As PRP is yet to contest any election, Election Commission is not bound to allot it a common symbol to contest the next elections.
The PRP is anxious that lack of an election symbol can affect its chances in the elections due in four months time. If the party is not allotted an election symbol of its own, PRP's candidates will be technically treated as independents and they will be asked to chose one from the free symbols.
It will entail in a confusing situation because party's Lok Sabha and assembly candidates in the same constituency will get separate symbols further confusing the voters and the party will not be able to carry out a massive campaign with one symbol.
However party sources said that in case the Election Commission does not allot them a common election symbol they will follow the example of Telangana Rashtra Samiti and approach the court to seek allotment of an election symbol. The TRS was allotted Car symbol in its very first election in 2004.
