Hyderabad:
As the January 23 deadline set by President Pranab Mukherjee for the Andhra Pradesh Assembly to return the state Reorganisation Bill on Telangana nears, it almost seems like an anti-climax.
Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who has been insisting that the match is not over till the last ball is bowled, seems to be banking on the President to grant an extension.
Mr Reddy has written to Centre requesting that the state assembly be given four more weeks as only 19 of the 280 MLAs and only 13 of the 75 MLCs have spoken so far. There are 15 vacancies in the 295-member legislative assembly.
Over 9000 amendments have been moved in the Assembly; around 1000 in the legislative council. They need to be discussed and possibly voted upon.
The legal route will be an option the Seemandhra lobby - lawmakers from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema opposed to Telangana - will exercise if extension is not given. Feelers from Delhi say extension is unlikely with Parliament likely to pass Telangana Bill in February. Any delay will mean the state will go for general elections, due by May, undivided.
Sources in the Chief Minister's Office say PM must send the letter to the President who then has to take a call on extending the January 23 deadline. So far, the President has not refused time to a state when requested, sources say. If the lawmakers are not given time to discuss the 9000-plus amendments, it is a fit case to go to court, they say.
Meanwhile, there is also speculation over Kiran Reddy stepping down as Andhra Pradesh chief minister and launching his own party. Mr Reddy has said he would not oversee bifurcation of the state as its chief minister.
P Satyanarayana, social welfare minister, says there is such a demand from party colleagues but the "CM has not yet made up his mind."
Union minister Sarve Satyanarayana, who is from Telangana, says Mr Reddy can always resign and still stay on in the party. "After all, chief minister is not the only post. He can occupy great heights within party. He is wise; he will not defy or blackmail the party.''
Mysterious posters in Seemandhra districts hailing a united Andhra Pradesh have fuelled speculation of a new party in the offing.
Several Seemandhra Congress leaders who don't see a future in the party and can't find a berth elsewhere, want Mr Reddy to launch his own party. But Mr Reddy, it seems, is not yet ready.
Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who has been insisting that the match is not over till the last ball is bowled, seems to be banking on the President to grant an extension.
Mr Reddy has written to Centre requesting that the state assembly be given four more weeks as only 19 of the 280 MLAs and only 13 of the 75 MLCs have spoken so far. There are 15 vacancies in the 295-member legislative assembly.
Over 9000 amendments have been moved in the Assembly; around 1000 in the legislative council. They need to be discussed and possibly voted upon.
The legal route will be an option the Seemandhra lobby - lawmakers from coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema opposed to Telangana - will exercise if extension is not given. Feelers from Delhi say extension is unlikely with Parliament likely to pass Telangana Bill in February. Any delay will mean the state will go for general elections, due by May, undivided.
Sources in the Chief Minister's Office say PM must send the letter to the President who then has to take a call on extending the January 23 deadline. So far, the President has not refused time to a state when requested, sources say. If the lawmakers are not given time to discuss the 9000-plus amendments, it is a fit case to go to court, they say.
Meanwhile, there is also speculation over Kiran Reddy stepping down as Andhra Pradesh chief minister and launching his own party. Mr Reddy has said he would not oversee bifurcation of the state as its chief minister.
P Satyanarayana, social welfare minister, says there is such a demand from party colleagues but the "CM has not yet made up his mind."
Union minister Sarve Satyanarayana, who is from Telangana, says Mr Reddy can always resign and still stay on in the party. "After all, chief minister is not the only post. He can occupy great heights within party. He is wise; he will not defy or blackmail the party.''
Mysterious posters in Seemandhra districts hailing a united Andhra Pradesh have fuelled speculation of a new party in the offing.
Several Seemandhra Congress leaders who don't see a future in the party and can't find a berth elsewhere, want Mr Reddy to launch his own party. But Mr Reddy, it seems, is not yet ready.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
