The Hindupur Assembly constituency has long been a stronghold of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Film star Nandamuri Balakrishna, a TDP member, is vying for a hat-trick victory in the upcoming elections, but the competition has grown tougher across several regions.
Muslim voters and BC (Backward Classes) communities are key decision-makers in Hindupur, and the YSRC (Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party) is targeting these groups for support.
In response, Balakrishna has been campaigning vigorously, even in streets and small villages within the constituency. He is accompanied by his wife Vasundhara and their daughter in an effort to outmaneuver the YSRC.
The Congress Party has also tried, alongside the YSRC, to break the TDP's stronghold in Hindupur, where TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao secured three victories, and his elder son Nandamuri Harikrishna won once.
Currently, Nandamuri Balakrishna is serving his second term as the MLA and is competing for a third win.
The TDP has maintained dominance in Hindupur, with every challenge from the Congress and the YSRC failing since 1985.
N.T. Rama Rao chose this constituency for his first electoral contest, winning the seat three times, serving twice as Chief Minister, and once as Leader of the Opposition.
Voter loyalty to the TDP has been strong, with N.T. Rama Rao's sons, Nandamuri Harikrishna and Nandamuri Balakrishna, as well as other TDP candidates, consistently winning the Hindupur seat in successive elections.
The Congress Party previously attempted to seize Hindupur by fielding J.C. Prabhakar Reddy against N.T. Rama Rao, but NTR prevailed.
In the 2019 general election, the YSRC fielded former Inspector General Md. Iqbal against Balakrishna, hoping that minority votes would tilt the balance, but Balakrishna secured an easy victory.
YSRC regional coordinator and Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who oversees Anantapur district, recently introduced K. Deepika, a BC candidate, as the party's in-charge and subsequently announced her candidacy.
He campaigned in the Hindupur constituency with Deepika, meeting voters in every gram panchayat a month ago to garner support from BCs and Muslims.
He emphasized that the YSRC has strong backing in Hindupur due to the welfare programs introduced by Jagan Mohan Reddy over the past five years.
However, an independent candidate from the Muslim community may pose a challenge to Balakrishna, who relied on minority votes in previous elections.
YSRC sources believe that while rural parts of the constituency have been favorable to the TDP in recent elections, the majority of voters in Hindupur town are now inclined to support Jagan Mohan Reddy.