Notification issued for polls in Andhra, Telangana

The process for simultaneous elections to the assembly and Lok Sabha in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was set in motion with the Election Commission issuing a notification Wednesday.

Polling for 119 assembly seats and 17 Lok Sabha seats will be held April 30.

With the poll panel issuing the notification, the process for filing of nominations began Wednesday. Nominations will be accepted till April 9 while the last date for withdrawal is April 12.

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will come into being as separate states June 2 but the commission is going ahead with simultaneous polls to the assembly and Lok Sabha in the undivided state.

Elections to 175 assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Seemandhra will be held May 7.

Meanwhile, no poll alliance could be reached between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), though leaders of both the parties remained hopeful of an early deal.

The TDP politburo will meet here Thursday to take a decision on the alliance with the BJP.

BJP leader Prakash Javadekar told reporters in Delhi that talks with the TDP were moving in a positive direction.

The TDP is likely to leave 45 assembly and eight Lok Sabha seats in Telangana and 15 assembly and five Lok Sabha seats in Seemandhra for the BJP.

Talks were also on between the Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI) for an alliance in Telangana. The communist party is likely to get one Lok Sabha and 12 assembly seats.

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh said the party has prepared a list of candidates for 90 assembly seats in Telangana.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which has ruled out a merger and even an alliance with the Congress, is going alone.

The CPI-Marxist, which is also contesting on its own, has already announced candidates for three Lok Sabha and 17 assembly seats in Telangana.