Vijayawada/Anantapur: By-election for two seats of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council, under MLAs quota, will be held on July 12.
The announcement was made by the election commission on Tuesday. This is to fill the vacancies caused by the disqualification of C. Ramachandraiah and the resignation of Shaik Mohammed Iqbal from the Council.
Ramachandraiah, who was elected as MLC under the MLAs quota on YSRC ticket in 2021, was disqualified in March this year after he defected to the Telugu Desam. Iqbal resigned as MLC and quit the YSRC to join TD in April. The term of both the MLCs was up to March 29, 2027.
The EC will issue a notification for the by-election on June 25. Nominations will be received up to July 2 while the scrutiny will be on July 3. The last date for withdrawal is July 5. Polling will be held on July 12 and counting done the same day.
Given the strength of the TD-led alliance in the 175-member Assembly, it is sure to win both the seats.
The defected MLCs from Rayalaseema region along with senior leaders are in the race for the MLC seat under the MLA quota as notification for the two MLC seats will be released on June 25.
Sources from TD said Md Sharif, Ramachandraiah, Iqbal and several other senior leaders who had failed to get the MLA and MP tickets for contest this time, in view of the alliance formula, are in the race. The upcoming MLC polls will see the TD having the advantage to gain two seats.
The former YSRC incharge of the Hindupur Assembly segment, Iqbal, faced punishment for his ‘defection’ to the TD. He left the YSRC after he faced insults and the YSRC high command fielded a non-local woman candidate from Hindupur and kept the sitting MLC aside. Iqbal told DC that had joined the TD unconditionally, and would stand by any decision from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu vis-a-vis an MLC ticket.
