TIRUPATI: Praja Rajyam (PR) president and Tirupati MLA Chiranjeevi on Thursday conceded that the party’s ‘rail engine’ symbol was too confusing and possibly ruined the winning chances of its candidates in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Participating in a ‘meet the press’ programme organised at the Press Club here, he said another factor which impacted the winning chances of the party was the alleged political contrivances behind fielding independents with symbols like tractor, bulldozer, bread etc. These symbols resembled the PR’s rail engine and confused ordinary voters, he said.

Mr. Chiranjeevi said the PR would take up with the Election Commission to allot it this time a ‘small and clear’ symbol. “We 100 per cent want to change the symbol,” he said.

To a question he denied that his brothers – Naga Babu and Pavan Kalyan — were sidelined in the party affairs. He said, they were not in active politics and as fulltime actors they had their own professions. Another reason he cited was to steer clear of criticism that he was encouraging nepotism in the party

On the stand-off between DGP S.S.P. Yadav and Chief Electoral Officer I.V. Subba Rao, Mr. Chiranjeevi felt the DGP was perhaps stretching the issue ‘too far’.

On alliances
On the possibilities of the PR having a truck with like-minded parties in the ensuing GHMC and local body elections, Mr. Chiranjeevi said it was too early to take any decision. .