In a surprising development, Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy told his Cabinet colleagues on Wednesday that there is no question of holding elections before April and that they would be held as schedule. He also made it clear that even the Lok Sabha elections would not be advanced and that there would be simultaneous polls to the Assembly and Lok Sabha. He asked the ministers to gear up themselves to face the elections and run down the Opposition parties.
The development was surprising because initially, YSR preferred an early election to the Assembly in the wake of positive results for the Congress in Delhi and Rajasthan. He wanted that the Opposition parties should not be given enough time to gain strength and even before they consolidate their forces, the government should go for polls.
Sources say it could be YSR's strategy to fool the Opposition by saying that the polls could be held in April. He is of the view that the Telugu Desam and Praja Rajyam party, which are working out intense strategies to attack the Congress, might tend to go a bit relaxed now and take it easy for some time on alliances and seat sharing. And when they go into a relaxed mood, the government can announce elections, taking them by surprise. That would give them little time to prepare for polls!
