A day after Telangana Assembly was dissolved, the Election Commission on Friday will decide whether Telangana will go for early elections or not.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday had declared that the state assembly would be dissolved to facilitate polls eight months before schedule.
The Election Commission is scheduled to examine the possibility of Telangana voting for a new assembly by December – along with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, which are scheduled to vote this year.
A senior official of the commission said that the election body meets every Tuesday and Friday for discussions and Telangana is likely to come up in today’s meeting.
The Assembly term was till May 2019 and elections in normal course would have been conducted along with the Lok Sabha polls in April-May. Telangana’s ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samiti reportedly wants to avoid a clash with the national election due next year.
Read | Telangana Assembly dissolved; KCR appointed as caretaker CM
Nearly nine months before its term was to end, the Assembly was dissolved by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, accepting a recommendation by the cabinet on Thursday. He asked Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and his Council of Ministers to continue in office as caretaker Government.
Addressing the media yesterday, the TRS chief had exuded confidence that Assembly elections in Telangana will be held along with those in four other states by year-end.
“As far as I know, the poll process may begin in October and get completed in November. The results may be announced in the first week of December,” he said.
KCR claimed that he spoke on the issue with the Chief Election Commissioner whereas the Chief Secretary and the state government’s Chief Advisor too held talks with the Election Commissioners.
KCR said “political fragility” in the state was the reason for the recommendation for early dissolution of the Assembly and early elections.
He decided to approach the people’s court to curb the ever increasing political fragility and the “unlimited idiocy” of the opposition.
The TRS chief alleged that this political fragility was created by false and baseless allegations by the opposition against his government.
He defended the decision for early dissolution of the house, saying it was taken for the “bright future of Telangana”.
“Let people take a call. Why should anybody else? I sacrificed my (full) term for the sake of the people of Telangana, to maintain steady growth of the state and to protect the state from bloody fragility.”
He lashed out at the main opposition Congress for allegedly trying to create hurdles in the path of development.
KCR also announced TRS candidates for 105 constituencies. He said among sitting legislators, only two were denied ticket. He said candidates for the remaining 14 constituencies will be announced soon.
KCR will formally launch the TRS election campaign with a public meeting at Husnabad in Siddipet district on Friday.
(With agency inputs)