As the counting date draws close, a gleaming Praja Rajyam train, nearly written off only till recently, picks up speed. The Congress and the Telugu Desam are both scrambling to connect with the PR train, driven by the belief that the sum of the parts will add up to a victorious whole. Heated campaign rhetoric had Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and the TD chief, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, making scathing remarks about PR president Chiranjeevi. The driver of the PR train didn’t know how to drive, and it was a train to nowhere, they said. Mr Naidu accused the PR chief of giving tickets to turncoats from the TD. That was then! Imminent counting has miraculously changed opinions about the actor-turned politician. Suddenly Chiranjeevi is in favour. TD leaders, who boasted of large women and youth turnouts during the polls as an indication for Mr Naidu’s victory, are now doubtful. In addition, doubts are being expressed about the Mahakutami securing more seats than the Congress.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s, political game plans are keeping TD leaders on their toes as well. Already preparing for a hung Assembly, the TD leaders have started making overtures to the PR camp. TD politburo member Mr Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, was the first to describe Chiranjeevi as a close friend of the TD chief. “We strongly believe that in the event of a hung House, the PR will align with the TD, rather than joining hands with the Congress,” Mr Ramakrishnudu said. Since then several TD leaders have expressed confidence that the PR will align with the TD. Since majority of the senior leaders in the PR are breakaways from their party, TD camp managers are working on uncoupling these familiar bogies from the PR train, and re-connecting them to the TD. Not to be left behind, the Congress is also trying to pull the PR train its way to win the number game. The minister for finance, Mr K. Rosaiah, said he believed that Chiranjeevi is wise, and will not join hands with the TD chief. Discussions between the PR chief, and the minister for housing, Mr Botsa Satyanarayana, on Wednesday gave credence to the reports that the Congress is assiduously wooing the PR. The Left has also intensified efforts to forge a post-poll alliance between the TD and the PR. The CPI state secretary, Mr K. Narayana, has swung into action and even suggested sharing the Chief Minister’s post between Chiranjeevi and Mr Naidu. Unmoved by recent overtures from his political rivals, Chiranjeevi insists his party will not get less than 160 seats and he will be Chief Minister. He also made it clear that the PR would not align with the Congress or the TD-led Mahakutami. The party trains are in the shunting yard. May 16 will bring more clarity, as they roll out of the yard! - D C
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