Hyderabad/Amaravati, Feb 9 (IANS): Biennial elections to 15 seats of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council and Telangana Legislative Council will be held on March 13.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced the schedule for 13 seats of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council and two seats of Telangana Legislative Council.

The elections will be held for eight local authorities' constituencies, three graduates' and two teachers' constituencies in Andhra Pradesh. Polling will also be held for one teachers' constituency and one local authorities' constituency in Telangana.

The ECI announced that notifications for these elections will be issued on February 16. The last date for filing of nominations will be February 23. The nominations will be taken up for scrutiny the next day. The last date for withdrawal of nominations will be February 27.

Polling will be held on March 13. The counting of votes will be taken up on March 16. The ECI announced that the model code of conduct concerning these elections will come into force with immediate effect in the concerned constituencies.

In Andhra Pradesh, Anantapur and Kadapa Local Authorities' seats are scheduled to fall vacant on March 29 with the retirement of sitting members. Similarly, sitting members from West Godavari, Nellore, East Godavari, Srikakulam, Chittoorr and Kurnool Local Authorities constituencies will retire on May 1.

Prakasam-Nellore-Chittoor, Kadapa-Anantapur-Kurnool and Srikakulam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam Graduates' seats, Prakasam-Nellore-Chittoor and Kadapa-Anantapur-Kurnool Teachers' seats are to fall vacant on March 29.

In Telangana, the term of MLCs from Mahabubnagar-Ranga Reddy-Hyderabad Teachers' seat and Hyderabad Local Authorities' seat is to end on March 29 and May 1 respectively.

The Election Commission has directed the chief secretaries of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to ensure that the extant instructions regarding Covid-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the elections.