NDA dithers over Naidu's poll move

 Naidu wants both sets of elections to be held in February or March next year. In the normal course, elections in Andhra Pradesh are due along with Lok Sabha elections in September-October next year.

 The Centre is believed to have told him that a decision on this will have to await the outcome of the five Assembly elections.

 NDA convenor George Fernandes, in a statement in Chennai yesterday, asserted that general elections would be held on schedule.

 He is also reported to have clarified that there were no plans yet for a Third Front. This was the first formal reaction from the NDA to Naidu's proposal, made several times in the last three months.

 In parallel, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief M Venkiah Naidu, Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani and Chandrababu Naidu held talks during Advani's Hyderabad visit last week to address the National Police Academy in the city. Chandrababu Naidu is reported to have raised the early election during this meeting as well.

 The Andhra Pradesh chief minister's biggest apprehension is that if the Assembly elections are delinked from the Lok Sabha, all the top national leaders