Special Correspondent

- PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Oozing confidence: Praja Rajyam president Chiranjeevi chairing the party’s review meeting on its poll prospects in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: Praja Rajyam president K. Chiranjeevi said the question of his party extending support to any other party did not arise since it would ride to power on its own by bagging a minimum of 160 Assembly seats.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, the first after polling concluded on April 23, Mr. Chiranjeevi refused to respond to a volley of questions about his possible post-poll allies in the event of a ‘hung’ Assembly.

When the queries persisted, he said; “I don’t know how you can continue to question me on the same lines even after I have stated that we are confident of making it alone, without any other party’s help.”

Reviews performance

Earlier, he chaired the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting when he reviewed the party’s performance and prospects, interacting with the 14 member-strong committee and other senior leaders. The leaders as well as the party cadres seemed to be full of enthusiasm, bolstered by constituency-level reports.

Explaining the basis of his party’s confidence, he said the new voters, who constituted 5.5 per cent of all the voters, were attracted by the Praja Rajyam’s mantra of ‘change’. Besides, a majority of women and youth who were out at the polling booths were also motivated to give the fledgling party a chance.

Targets TD, Congress

“People are fed up with the 14-year rule of the Telugu Desam and the Congress. That is why there was silent voting,” he said. The Praja Rajyam president lashed out at the TDP and Congress, accusing them of ‘trying everything in the book against a new party that successfully gained the people’s trust in a few months of its existence’.

He accused both the parties of spending crores of rupees and ‘making liquor flow’, in their bid to stop him from winning in Tirupati and Palacole.

He was unperturbed though, he said, because people firmly believed him.

Mr. Chiranjeevi acknowledged the role of Chief Electoral Officer I.V. Subba Rao and Director-General of Police A.K. Mohanty in conducting free and fair elections.