Chiranjeevi kin speak in varied voices on his seat

BY J.R.PRASAD

Hyderabad, April 19: The Praja Rajaym chief Chiranjeevi, who is contesting from Palacole and Tirupati Assembly sea-ts, is embarrassed by the contradictory statements made by his family members on which seat he will retain after the election.

Their statements have also led to confusion on which seat he intends to keep.
Chiranjeevi’s elder daughter, Ms Susmita, along with her friends are campaigning in the the Palacole segment. His actor-brother Nagendra Babu’s wife, Ms Padmaja, and Chiranjeevi’s sister, Ms Madhavi Lata, are campaigning in Tirupati to garner support for the PR chief.
During her tour, Ms Susmita assures voters that her father has a special attachment to Palacole, which is near his place of birth, while others say that his heart is in Tirupati.
To add to the confusion, the PR senior leader, Mr Ch. Harirama Jogaiah, has told Chiranjeevi to retain Palacole seat. He said the actor could be a contender for the Chief Minister’s post in the Andhra-Rayalaseema state if AP is bifurcated.
Asked about Mr Jogaiah’s advice, the PR chief had said it was his personal opinion. The confusion has led to the PR leadership worrying about Chiranjeevi’s pros-pects from both the seats now.
“These statements are creating confusion among voters in these seats. Imagine a situation in which voters in both seats don’t vote for Chiranjeevi thinking he will retain the other seat; what will be the fate of our party then?” said a PR leader.
Mr Allu Aravind, Chiranjeevi’s brother-in-law, has been repeatedly saying that the PR chief has not taken any decision yet.
“It is our rivals who are spreading such rumours to create confusion among the voters in Tirupati and Palacole,” said Mr Aravind.
Besides that row, aggressive campaigning by the Chief Minister’s close aide, Mr B. Karunakar Reddy, is rattling the PR camp. So fierce is the battle that Chiranjeevi was moved to say on Sunday that the Chief Minister and his aides have hatched a plan to defeat him. Chiranjeevi’s son, Ram Charan Teja, and Mr Aravind’s son, Allu Arjun, will campaign in Tirupati on Monday.