State formation will delay elections in Andhra Pradesh by six months

The Andhra Pradesh assembly will on Wednesday start discussions on the Telangana Bill before sending its report to the President on January 23.

The assembly will discuss the bill in three phases -- December 18 to 20, January 3 and January 16. The assembly’s opinions will then be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee on January 23, the day when the six-week deadline ends.

The state formation process is expected to be completed by February, according to Deputy Chief Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha. He said there would be no elections in the state for at least six months after the formation of the state. Not only Telangana, but even Seema-Andhra will be under President's rule. Elections to both regions will be conducted only after six months.

This will ensure that the nitty-gritty post formation is taken care of.

Many Seema-Andhra people in the Telangana region fear a backlash and hence want protection. The earlier idea of the centre to take chare of the law and order in Hyderabad city is not constitutionally valid if there is a government in place.

Law and order is a state subject and the only way to have control over it is through President's rule.