Hyderabad, Feb 6 (IANS) The Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) of Telugu actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi Friday got some relief as the Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s order rejecting the party’s plea for a common election symbol. The court asked the Election Commission to reconsider its decision not to allot a common symbol to the party for all seats it would be contesting in the ensuing polls to Andhra Pradesh assembly and Lok Sabha. The poll panel has been asked to take a decision in this regard within three weeks.

In its verdict on a petition of PRP general secretary Allu Arvind, the court asked the ECI to consider the PRP’s case afresh, keeping in view the case of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), which was allotted a common symbol in 2004 elections.

Allu Arvind, who is also the brother-in-law of Chiranjeevi, had moved the high court after the ECI rejected the PRP’s application for a common election symbol. The party wanted the rail engine as the symbol.

The ECI rejected the application on the ground that the PRP was a new party and it had not contested any elections so far.

The PRP challenged the order citing the earlier case of the TRS, whose application for a common symbol was rejected by the ECI in 2004 but the high court set aside the EC order and directed that the party be allotted the common symbol.

The high court order has come as a major relief for the seven-month old PRP which was worried that campaigning would be difficult in the absence of a uniform election symbol and that this could adversely impact its electoral prospects.