NEW DELHI: The Praja Rajyam party is hopeful that the Election Commission would consider its request for allotment of a common symbol for its candidates contesting the forthcoming elections to the State Assembly.
Party president Chiranjeevi today met Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami here and put forth the plea. Gopalaswami assured that the Commission would consider the request, Chiranjeevi told mediapersons later. Praja Rajyam is only a registered party and not a recognised one. In the normal course, candidates of registered parties are treated as independents and, therefore, have to fight on different symbols in different constituencies. However, the EC has the discretion to allot a common symbol considering the fact that Praja Rajyam would be contesting in a majority of the 294 constituencies in the State, if not all of them. It was done in the case of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the past when it was allotted a common symbol (car) though it was just a registered party then . Chiranjeevi’s party may be given the choice to pick one from among the free symbols available with the EC.
Rising Sun, which forms part of the Praja Rajyam’s flag, happens to the symbol of DMK in Tamil Nadu but it does not preclude the EC from granting it to Chiranjeevi’s party too since both happen to be regional formations. A case in point is the TDP and Samajwadi Party having the same symbol (bicycle). Chiranjeevi ruled out any truck with the BJP.