Notification Issued for MLA Quota MLC Elections in Andhra Pradesh

The Election Commission has issued a notification for the election of five Member of Legislative Council (MLC) seats under the MLA quota in Andhra Pradesh. As per the notification, candidates can file nominations until March 10. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 11, and the deadline for withdrawal of nominations is March 13. The polling is scheduled for March 20, with the vote counting set to begin on the same evening.

The MLC terms of Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, Janga Krishnamurthy, Duvvarapu Rama Rao, B.T. Naidu, and Ashok Babu will end on March 29. With the issuance of the election notification, the election code of conduct has come into effect.

Sources indicate that the ruling coalition may nominate Nagababu, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, for one of the five MLC seats. Another potential candidate is TDP leader Varma, who had previously vacated the Pithapuram MLA seat in favor of Pawan Kalyan. The remaining three seats are expected to be allocated to representatives from different social communities.

Given the current strength of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is unlikely to secure any of the MLC seats. The Election Commission has appointed Assembly Deputy Secretary Vanitha Rani as the returning officer for the elections, along with two assistant returning officers. The process of accepting nominations has commenced today.