Former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, who heads four-party Grand Alliance in Andhra Pradesh said with the announcement of election schedule, the countdown has begun for the Congress governments both in New Delhi and Hyderabad.
"What they have done during last five years"?, he asked. "The condition of the poor has worsened, the number of suicide by farmers has increased and the situation of the artisans has gone from bad to worse", he said.
"Both the governments will face a crushing defeat. The Grand Alliance will come to power in Andhra Pradesh and Third Front will form the government at the Centre," said Naidu, when asked for his reactions to the election schedule.
"The election process will be completed 52-53 days and Congress will be thrown out of power", he said.
On Third Front, he said Deve Gowda of Janata Dal (S), AIADMK of Jayalalithaa and BSP of Mayawati and many others will be part of it.
"Deve Gowda is conducting a massive public meeting in Bangalore on March 12 and all top leaders will be there where all the formalities will be decided", Naidu said.
On another question, he said that the Grand Alliance partners in Andhra Pradesh will also reach seat adjustment very soon.
Meanwhile, film star Chiranjeevi said that his party was ready to fight elections and he himself will contest from the Tirupati Assembly constituency. He told the reporters in Mahbubnagar that the second assembly constituency for him was not chosen as yet.
As there was very little time left, the PRP has decided to field three brothers to campaign in three different regions of the state. While Chiranjeevi will be concentrating on coastal Andhra, Pavan Kalyan will campaign in Telangana and Naga Babu will go around Rayala Seema region, sources said.
The other two stars in the family Ramacharan Teja, son of Chiranjeevi and Allu Arjun, son of Allu Arvind will also campaign. Arjun has already recorded several songs for the party's campaign in his voice.
But the immediate challenge before the party was to distribute the ticket with out causing any heart burn in the rank and file.