TDP gets Telugu hero Balakrishna boost in Telangana

The TDP's Telangana unit Monday roped in top Telugu film actor N Balakrishna, brother-in-law of party president N Chandrababu Naidu, to campaign for it in the coming Legislative Assembly polls.

The MLA from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and son of TDP founder N T Rama Rao, he canvassed for the party in Khammam district, taking part in road shows in support of TDP candidate S Venkata Veeraiah in Sattupalli assembly segment.

Veeraiah was the TDP MLA from Sattupalli in the recently-dissolved Telangana Legislative Assembly.

Khammam district was a stronghold of TDP once, but the party suffered after Tummala Nageswara Rao, a seasoned leader, joined TRS after it came to power in the 2014 assembly polls.

Nageswara Rao is a minister in the government headed by caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Rao, who was an MLC initially, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in a bypoll from Palair in Khammam.

The Khammam region, bordering Andhra Pradesh, has strong links with the neighbouring state. TDP hopes that Balakrishna's campaign would improve its prospects in the region.

TDP is part of the proposed grand alliance of Congress-led opposition parties which include CPI and TJS, for the coming assembly polls.