PRP gets 'rail engine' as poll symbol

The Election Commission on Monday allotted 'rail engine' as the poll symbol to Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh in compliance with the recent Supreme Court order.

 "The Election Commission has allotted rail engine as the election symbol to PRP and whistle as the symbol to Lok Satta," state Chief Electoral Officer I V Subba Rao told reporters here.

The allotment of symbol is in compliance with the Supreme Court's direction to the Election Commission on March 27 to provide common symbols to Praja Rajyam, Lok Satta of former IAS officer Jayaprakash Narayan and DMDK led by Tamil actor Vijaykanth.

"In India, most of the voters are illiterate and they go merely by the symbols of the candidates," the apex court observed while ordering common symbols to three parties as an "interim measure."

The Supreme Court's order came as a pre-poll morale booster to Praja Rajyam and Lok Satta who were worried over the absence of a common election symbol to all their candidates.