No to PM's poll idea, says Nara Lokesh

Vijayawada: Rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion for simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and Assemblies of all states, minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday said that no state will agree to this idea and it is not possible to hold one election for the entire country.

He also denied the speculation about Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu contemplating early elections for the AP Assembly.

“The Chief Minister had asked the party to be ready to face polls anytime,” Mr Lokesh, who is the son of the Chief Minister and holds IT, panchayat Raj and Rural Development portfolios, said.

“There is no state whi-ch is going for elections in 2018. So there is no chance of early electio-ns at any cost,” he said.

Mr Lokesh, however, exuded confidence that the TD will win the elections whenever they may be held as his party had worked a lot for the development of the state in the past three years.

He also said that he is ready to take the responsibility of shepherding the party in the municipal elections. He will also meet 40 MLAs, who are interested in the developments of panchayats on Thursday.