If the reports coming from New Delhi are to be believed, elections to the Andhra Pradesh assembly might be held in the third or fourth week of March.
According to these reports, the Election Commission is expected to release the schedule for general elections to Lok Sabha and also to some of the state assemblies in the month of February itself.
The elections will spread over a period of one month ranging from March second week to April third week so that new governments would be formed by April last week.
It would mean, the elections are going to be advanced to Lok Sabha and some state assemblies, including that of Andhra Pradesh by a month and a half.
Apparently, the Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to get the elections advanced by a few weeks so that the anti-incumbency atmosphere prevailing in different parts of the country will not intensify.
It appears the BJP has got the hint that it is going face setbacks in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and there would be close fight in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.
So, it would be better to advance the polls by a few weeks so that the opposition would not get much time to consolidate.
If the idea materialises, the assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and other states scheduled to go for polls in April and May, would also be held simultaneously. And the chances of holding elections in AP in the first phase itself are very bright, say the sources.
AP chief electoral officer R P Sisodia also hinted that there could be announcement of election schedule for AP in February.
It would mean the elections could be held somewhere in the last week of March or at the most, first week of April, source said.