Balayya to contest 2014 polls

News pulse, Politics | admin | September 12, 2011 at 3:28 am

Egged on by his recent success in the tinsel town, Mr Nandamuri Balakrishna, the 50-year-old film actor from the NTR family, seems to be hoping for a bigger role in the Telugu Desam Party in the days to come.

Disclosing his political plans at a Tollywood stars cricket match in Anantapur on Sunday, he stated that he would enter active politics and put forth his candidature for contesting the 2014 polls to the State Legislative Assembly.

Indicating that he could choose his constituency from any part in the State, he said that he was not partial to any of the three regions – Rayalaseema, Telangana and Coastal – and that he belonged to the entire State.Restricted so far to the fringes of power politics in the Telugu Desam Party, Mr Balakrishna could be hoping to make it to the leadership slot. His announcement to this effect is viewed as a clear indication of his preparedness to shoulder bigger responsibilities in the party.

It has taken many of the loyalists of the TDP president, Mr N Chandrababu Naidu, by surprise. ‘But there is no vacuum in leadership. So far as the interest evinced by him in playing an active role in the party is concerned, it cannot be ignored,’ says a senior leader.

Popularly known as Balaiah, the brother-in-law of Mr Naidu has been stalking claim to the limelight for quite a long time. He had made a similar announcement in 2009 that he was keen on contesting the elections in that year. But it did not materialize.

He in fact failed to impress upon Mr Naidu to secure the party ticket. Mr Balakrishna sounded very much confident of making a seamless transition from filmdom to active politics this time. He has also been successful in further cementing his relationship with the TDP chief, thanks to the marriage of his daughter Ms Brahmani with the latter’s son, Mr Lokesh.

At one stage Mr Lokesh was projected as a political schemer waiting in his wings to step into the shoes of Mr. Nara Chandrababu Naidu. But it apparently annoyed another brother-in-law of Mr Naidu, Mr Harikrishna and his son NTR junior, who also has been craving for a bigger say in party affairs.

NTR junior is also said to be making it big in politics like his grandfather, N T Rama Rao, the founder president of the Telugu Desam Party, who make his way to power with the slogan of redeeming the Telugu pride in the ’80s.

The NTR family is more or less inseparable from Telugu Desam Party and Balaiah’s resolve to ‘play a key role’ in the party is seen as the outcome of an understanding within the family.

Besides, Mr Balakrishna, who enjoys a good fan following in Rayalaseema as well as Coastal districts, holds out hope for the party in the 2014 elections. He can be projected as a formidable factor to outwit the challenge thrown by Mr YS Jaganmohan Reddy and his YSR Congress Party in these parts of the State.

All eyes are now on Balakrishna and politcial experts are weighing the impact the film actor could make in state politics.

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