If the Election Commission of India has its way, the general elections to assembly and Lok Sabha in Andhra Pradesh will be held in the last week of April.
According to reports from New Delhi, the EC has started working out the schedules for the general elections to Lok Sabha and various other state assemblies.
As per the tentative schedule, the elections in Andhra Pradesh would be held on April 30. The results would be declared after May 15, when the entire election process in all the states is completed.
There were reports earlier that the EC is contemplating conducting the assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra in two phases: first phase in Rayalaseema and second phase in the coastal Andhra in a gap of 10 days in April. In Telangana, the Lok Sabha elections would be held in a single phase.
However, the latest reports say they would be conducted in a single phase on April 30. May be, the EC thought it cannot afford to retain the security forces for a long time in Andhra.
In all probability, the EC might announce the schedule in the last week of February or at the most, the first week of March. The election process will commence in March with the issuance of notification in various states.
The political parties have already started drawing the battle lines and are in the process of finalizing their candidates.
In all probability, the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the main rival YSR Congress party might announce the candidates in the last week of January or first week of February.
