Hyderabad: In a paradox of sorts, several Congress leaders want the Prajarajyam Party (PRP) to perform well in the polls on the apprehension that in case an anti-incumbency factor crops up, the Congress would benefit if the anti-Congress votes go to the PRP rather than the Telugu Desam Party.

“Therefore it is imperative that the political standing of the new party not plummet in the run-up to the elections, due to sharp internal contradictions. If it does, then all the anti-Congress votes would be transferred to the TDP which will be disastrous for the ruling party,” one Congress leader said.

According to the Congress leaders, if there is a hung assembly in which the PRP does well, the Congress can try and cajole Chiranjeevi to team up with them and form the government. “However, at this juncture, the PRP does not appear to be gaining in strength even after the announcement of the poll schedule. The Congress wants Chiranjeevi to become stronger as the campaign hots up,” the leaders said expressing happiness about the mega stars successful show in Hyderabad on the weekend.

So far, the surveys conducted by reputed agencies and others conducted on behalf of individual Congress leaders have placed the PRP in the third position after the Congress and TDP. As per the latest of these surveys, the support base for the PRP is between 19 per cent to 21 per cent of the votes. The vote share for the Congress was 41 per cent and for the TDP 36 per cent. If there is a five to six per cent swing from the PRP to the TDP, then the Congress is doomed, was the finding of a survey conducted by a resourceful Congress MP from a coastal district.

A statistical model prepared on the basis of the survey suggested that the anti-Congress votes formed a huge component of the PRP’s 19 to 21 per cent vote share. An expert who analysed the data said the “Kapus form the core support group of Chiranjeevi which is around 8 to 9 per cent while the remaining is the anti-Congress vote contributed by various social segments. These sections are prone to shift their loyalties the moment they realise that the PRP is no match to take on the Congress party,” the analyst told media. The Congress and the TDP are locked in close contests in many constituencies and a weak PRP would mar the chances of a Congress victory. It is for this reason that the ruling party wants the PRP to gain in strength in the coming days.

According to sources, the Congress had discretely told various social groups to turn out in large numbers for the PRP meeting at the Parade Grounds on March 21 and turn it into a success. Thus from the surveys point of view, Chiranjeevi appears to hold the key as to who will form the next government in the State.

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