In an unprecedented rush for tickets, the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress has received as many as 8,000 applications for the 294 assembly seats in the state and 500 applications for 42 Lok Sabha seats.

For the assembly polls in 2004, the Congress had received only 4000 applications, party sources said.

"This is a positive sign for the Congress," the source added.
 
The sources said that the Congress party was planning to release the first list of candidates with 80 names for assembly polls and 15 for the Lok Sabha elections before the Election Commission issues the poll notification. After receiving the names from the state election committee, the high command will finalise and release the list.

All the district and city Congress unit presidents have been asked to submit their lists to the state Congress committee at the earliest. The state committee will meet in the first week of March to finalise the names that will be sent to the All India Congress Committee.
 
The applicants for party tickets include some newcomers and former government officials.