Hyderabad, May 21 (IANS) Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) general secretary Allu Aravind Thursday offered to resign from the post, owning responsibility for the humiliating defeat in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Aravind, brother-in-law of PRP founder and president Chiranjeevi, offered to quit during the meeting of political affairs committee of the party when some party leaders blamed him for the poll debacle.

Party sources said a final decision on Aravind’s stepping down as the party general secretary will be taken by Chiranjeevi.

The much hyped PRP, launched by the Telugu superstar in August last year, won only 18 seats in 294-member assembly and drew a blank in the Lok Sabha polls.

Aravind played a key role in distribution of party tickets for both the elections but he came under criticism from a section of party leaders for fielding weak candidates.

Aravind himself lost the elections in Ankapalle Lok Sabha constituency while several senior leaders, who had crossed over to the PRP from either the Congress or the Telugu Desam party, were also defeated.

Chiranjeevi too lost from Palacole assembly seat in his native West Godavari district though he won from Tirupati.

The political affairs committee of the PRP chaired by Chiranjeevi analysed the reasons for party’s poor performance.

Party leader C. Ramchandraiah told reporters that owning collective responsibility, the committee has decided to dissolve itself. “We have authorised the party president to appoint a new committee,” he said.

The meeting will continue Friday and Chiranjeevi is likely to take some key decisions to strengthen the party.