Nandamuri Balakrishna is one of the three MLAs who won on a TDP ticket in Rayalaseema in the 2019 elections. The YSR Congress wave is so much that even the majority of Chandrababu Naidu got reduced. Balakrishna not only won from Hindupur but also bettered his 2014 majority surprising everyone.
Before the elections, YSR Congress unleashed a huge campaign to discredit Balakrishna in Hindupur but they could not succeed. As a Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is once again keen on winning Hindupur in the 2024 elections. The Chief Minister is now strengthening Balakrishna’s rival.
Former Security Officer of Chandrababu, Mohammed Iqbal contested against Balakrishna in 2019. Even though he lost, Jagan immediately made him an MLC. Buzz is that Iqbal will be made the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Council after the current Chairman recently retired.
The idea is to make Iqbal a state-level leader giving him that stature to fight Balakrishna in the next election. TDP is yet to lose Hindupur ever since its inception in 1983. We will have to see if Jagan can manage to pull it off!
