Assembly polls in Seemandhra, Telangana unlikely with Lok Sabha polls

NEW DELHI: Assembly elections in Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh may not be held along with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Official sources said bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh will take at least three to four months as it had happened in case of formation of Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, and hence Assembly elections in Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh are unlikely to be held along with general elections.

Lok Sabha polls might be held in Andhra Pradesh as an undivided state along with the rest of the country.

However, the final decision will be taken by the Election Commission in consultation with the Centre.

There are 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in undivided Andhra Pradesh of which 25 fall in Seemandhra region and 17 in Telangana.

After bifurcation, there will be 175 Assembly seats in residuary Andhra Pradesh and 119 seats in Telangana.

Till the two states come into existence after completion of all formalities, the united Andhra Pradesh could be placed under President's rule as recommended by Governor ESL Narasimhan following resignation of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Congress, which has been ruling the state for last 10 years, is unlikely to choose another candidate to succeed Reddy, who quit as an MLA as well as from the party protesting against the decision to create Telangana.

A decision on imposition of central rule in Andhra Pradesh is expected to be taken in the next meeting of the Union Cabinet.

The bill to create the country's 29th state, by splitting Andhra Pradesh, was passed by Lok Sabha on February 19. It was passed in Rajya Sabha the next day.