Uncertainty over Telangana Budget session

Hyderabad: The date for the budget session of the State Assembly is unlikely to be finalised till the notification for the Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly bypolls is announced.

It may be mentioned here that the government had recently said the Assembly session, which was to begin in the first week of March, would be held after the biennial elections to the two MLC seats. But the government, once again, has decided to postpone the session till the bypoll notification.

The thinking in the government circles is that if the Election Commission announces the schedule for the Assembly bypoll before March 15, then it would convene a two-day session from March 15 and ask the Governor to address both the Houses and present the budget next day and adjourn it till the elections are over.

The other option before the government is to hold a week-long budget session in the last week of March and conclude the same before the start of new financial year from April 1. Earlier, the government held two weeklong budget session with 10 working days.

Officials said that the government has expected the announcement of the schedule for the Sagar bypoll along with the Assembly elections of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam. The EC had recently indicated that the bypoll schedule would be announced in March. Hence the government is now waiting for the EC's announcement.