Election Tsunami All Set to Lash AP

VIJAYAWADA: An Election Tsunami is all set to lash Andhra Pradesh with the Election Commission releasing poll schedules on Saturday.

In the high-stakes battle, the YSRC led by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would release the full list of his party’s candidates for the 174 Assembly and 25 Parliament seats at Idupulapaya.

Rival political formation, the three-party alliance of Telugu Desam, the Jana Sena and the BJP, is also girding up its loins for a no-holds barred electoral fight. Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu would release the third and final list of TD candidates on Saturday.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch the alliance’s election rally and address a mammoth public meeting at Chilakaluripeta.

The Congress is roping in Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to start election meeting at Visakhapatnam on Saturday where he will adress a public meeting and announce support to Vizag Steel Plant protection.

Jagan Mohan Reddy would leave for Idupulapaya at 10.45 am, participate in prayers at YSR Ghat and interact with his family members and YSRC cadres.

He will announce the final and complete list of YSRC candidates there and return to Tadepalli.

YSRC leaders said the Chief Minister follows the tradition of releasing the final list of his party candidates at the YSR Ghat, which also marks the launch of the party’s election campaign, as had happened in 2019 too.

The Chief Minister has already appointed incharges for 77 Assembly segments and for 23 Parliament constituencies through 12 lists. For the past two days, he was busy finalising the final lists by taking into consideration the emerging line-up of the 3-party alliance.

Jagan Mohan Reddy would release the YSRC lists before the announcement of election schedule at 3 pm. “The CM would release lists at 11 am on Saturday,” they said.

Chandrababu released a second list of 34 TD candidates on Thursday and conducted deliberations to finalise candidates for the final list on Friday. TD sources said he completed the selection of candidates for 16 Assembly seats and for a majority of LS seats out of the total 17.

The sources said many aspirants had lined up for the TD tickets for Penamaluru, Narasaraopeta, Mylavaram, Darsi, Bheemli and Chirala Assembly seats. Naidu held extensive discussions with the aspirants so as to avoid internal conflicts. The discussions would be completed by Friday night or Saturday morning. Naidu is likely to announce the final list on Saturday.

PM Modi is all set to blow the election conch by addressing the first election meeting of the BJP-TD-JS ‘Praja Galam’ in Andhra Pradesh at Boppudi in Chilakaluripeta on Sunday.

According to the tentative tour programme, PM Modi will depart from New Delhi at 1.50 pm on Sunday by IAF BBJ and arrive at Vijayawada airport by 4.10 pm. From there, he will go to Boppudi by helicopter. Modi will address the mammoth NDA rally and will return from Boppudi at 6.15 pm.