KCR seeks to modify ‘car’
■ No Congress, TD alliance will help TRS in Khammam
The Election Commission has agreed to consider TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s request to modify the party’s poll symbol of “car”.
Mr Rao had told the EC soon after the Assembly elections that the party’s symbol was not clearly visible on EVMs and voters were confusing it with other symbols, like the truck and the iron box.
On December 27, Mr Rao and party MPs met Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora in New Delhi and requested him not to allocate poll symbols which can be confused with his party’s car symbol during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Mr Rao told the CEC that his party had to suffer in some constituencies in the recent polls because of the symbol.
TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar said the party chief also discussed about brightening the colour of the party symbol so that voters can easily recognise it.
It will not be an easy task for the Congress to win Khammam and Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituencies, even though the TRS had got less votes there in the recent Assembly polls.
The TRS has prepared a sketch to shock the Congress after the Lok Sabha election schedule is announced.
Joining of an Independent MLA from Wyra after the Assembly elections and the Congress’ decision not to have an alliance with the Telugu Desam is going to help the TRS in Khammam Lok Sabha constituency.
The TRS had won just Khammam out of seven Assembly segments under the Khammam Lok Sabha constituency in the recent elections.
The Congress had won three seats, Madhira, Palair and Kothagudem, and the TD Aswaraopet and Sattupally while Wyra went to the Independent.
In Khammam Lok Sabha constituency, the TRS got 5,18,194 votes and the People’s Front candidates 5,36,817.
Of these, the Congress got 2,51,123 votes, TD
2,52,937 and CPI 32,757 votes. The difference between the TRS and the People’s Front votes was 18,523.
But Wyra Independent MLA L. Ramulu got
52,650 votes. If his votes are added to that of the TRS it exceeds that of the People’s Front. In Khammam Lok Sabha constituency, the TD got more votes than the Congress. The decision of the Congress and the TD to contest separately will help the TRS win.
There is speculation that some TD and Congress MLAs are ready to join the TRS. If this happens, the TRS will be better placed to win Khammam Lok Sabha seat, too.
In Mahabubabad, the Congress got 4,99,619 votes and the TRS 4,90,575. Out of the seven Assembly segments under the Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituency, the TRS won three — Dornakal, Narasampet and Mahabubabad — and the Congress Bhadrachalam, Pinapaka, Mulugu and Yellendu.
In Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress received 9,044 more votes than the TRS did. There is speculation some Congress MLAs might join the TRS.
Congress leaders feel Lok Sabha elections are different from Assembly elections. They said in Assembly elections, people look at local leadership while in the Lok Sabha elections they look at national leadership.
They also said that the Assembly elections are about TRS versus the Congress while the Lok Sabha elections are about the Congress versus the BJP.
Anti-incumbency against NDA government and people’s opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help the Congress win Lok Sabha seats.