Amaravati, Apr 18 : The commencement of the election process in Andhra Pradesh has been marked with the Election Commission issuing notifications for the filing of nominations for both Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. Candidates vying for the 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats can submit their nominations from April 18 to April 25, between 11 am and 3 pm.
Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena outlined the timeline, stating that nominations will undergo scrutiny on April 26, and candidates have until April 29 to withdraw their nominations. Polling is scheduled to take place on May 13.
Key political figures such as YSRCP chief and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, his son Nara Lokesh, and Janasena founder Pawan Kalyan are among those contesting in the Assembly polls. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeswari and APCC president YS Sharmila are prominent candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.
While the YSRCP is contesting independently, TDP, Janasena, and BJP are part of the NDA. The Congress has announced an alliance with its INDI partners CPI and CPM in the state.
Meena also outlined the deposit requirements for candidates, with Parliamentary candidates required to deposit Rs 25,000 and Assembly candidates Rs 10,000, halved for SC/ST candidates. The Election Commission has installed CCTV cameras to record the nominations process and any processions accompanying the candidates.
Under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), candidate expenditures will be closely monitored from the filing of nominations, including expenditures on newspaper announcements and paid news.
With a high-voltage campaign underway, Andhra Pradesh anticipates an intense electoral battle. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, YSRCP secured 22 seats while TDP won three. Similarly, in the Assembly polls held the same year, the YSR Congress claimed victory with 151 seats, followed by TDP with 23 seats and Janasena with one seat.
