Pins and needles for AP protagonists
HYDERABAD: It will be a nail-biting day for the three protagonists of Elections 2009 in the State -- YS Rajasekhara Reddy, N Chandrababu Naidu and Chiranjeevi.
At their respective party offices too, the buzz has died down and there is now a hushed suspense, reflecting the change in their leaders’ moods from swagger to reticence.
For its part, the Election Commission has completed all the formalities for counting of votes tomorrow at 106 centres across the State. At stake will be the fate of 3,655 candidates contesting 294 Assembly seats and 569 vying for 42 Lok Sabha berths.
At Gandhi Bhavan, shamianas have been put up and arrangements are being made for TV sets at various points. Some leaders who dropped in tried to project an air of confidence, and were even seen rehearsing responses should they figure in TV debates.
Over the past few days, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has been projecting a cool image, taking a break and spending time in Shimla and then in Kadapa. Arriving in Hyderabad yesterday, he celebrated the completion of his five-year term as chief minister at his residence by cutting a cake, but did not make any public appearance.
Today, he appeared calm to those who happened to call on him. Chandrababu Naidu who has been comporting himself like a sage at the review meetings held at his party office for the last six days, today kept himself confined to his house, spending the entire day speaking to confidants or calling up party leaders in the districts.
Meanwhile, the party office wore a deserted look with leaders having left for the counting centres in the districts.
Praja Rajyam chief Chiranjeevi too kept indoors, immersed in planning his moves after results are out tomorrow. Sources say he appeared somewhat tense with the exit polls of various channels painting a bleak picture for his party. In the afternoon, he disappeared from home for a few hours and sources said he was supervising arrangements at the camp in Shameerpet.
As for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, party chief K Chandrasekhara Rao’s fiat has seen all prospective MLAs holed up at the party office, with the honcho himself heading straight there on arrival from New Delhi.
Camps begin
With the possibility of a hung Assembly looming large, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) have moved their candidates into safe zones outside the reach of the bigger parties. They fear that their candidates may be poached by rivals with offers that are difficult to resist. While the TRS is using its own office to `detain’ its prospective MLAs, the PRP has booked a resort at Shameerpet and shifted about 50 candidates there. The best of facilities and food are being provided to the `hostages’ at the camps under the watchful eyes of party honchos K Chandrasekhar Rao and Chiranjeevi.
The candidates are likely to be set free only after the parties finalise their respective game plans. Till then, the `hostages’ have to while away time simply chatting.