Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections: Chandrababu Naidu gives N. Balakrishna Hindupur

Hyderabad: Film actor and Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu’s brother-in-law, N. Balakrishna, will contest from Hindupur Assembly constituency, the safest seat for the party, which it has never lost ever since its inception in 1983.

Mr Balakrishna’s name was missing from the first list of candidates for 13 districts forming the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, which was released on Wednesday by Mr Naidu. The TD chief, however, told mediapersons in the morning that Balakrishna’s candidature would be decided after holding discussions with the actor.

Balakrishna met Mr Naidu in the evening at a prefixed muhurtam and discussed his candidature. “He is all set to contest from Hindupur,” party sources said.

Mr Naidu has played safe with the first list of candidates for coastal districts and Rayalaseema. He cleared names of sitting legislators and the old guard. Candidates were finalised for seven Lok Sabha and 47 Assembly segments.

Mr Naidu sent a strong signal to party leaders in the Seemandhra region by acting tough against their counterparts in Telangana.

Despite pressures from senior leaders like E. Dayakar Rao, A. Revanth Reddy and Uma Madhava Reddy, to make changes to the list, the TD chief did not reverse his earlier decisions.

“Even in Seemandhra where the party is faring well, we will not yield to pressures for change of candidates,” a senior party leader pointed out.