Telugu Desam Party legislator Balakrishna was on Sunday seen chasing and assaulting his own party workers at a rally for the upcoming Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

The actor-turned-politician and brother-in-law of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is a sitting MLA from Hindpur and is seekinga re-entry into the state assembly this time. He was miffed when a youth came too close for a picture with him.

The visuals show Balakrishna surrounded by yellow flag-bearing TDP supporters at a campaign rally in Chipurupally. The visuals show how tension gripped an otherwise festive scene as Balakrishna started kicking and hitting the unidentified TDP supporter.

This is not Balakrishna’s first brush with controversy. He is known for physical and verbal abuses against fans, supporters and journalists. Sunday’s incident was the second such instance involving him in the last 10 days.

Here’s what happened

The Sunday incident occurred while his brother-in-law Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, was campaigning in Chipurupally for party leader Kimidi Nagarjuna.

The road leading to Gurla was congested with cars and bikes of TDP cadre during the rally in town, as per The News Minute. As Balakrishna chased an unidentified TDP worker and started hitting and kicking him, the incident was captured on video.

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The viral video shows Balakrishna snatching the TDP worker’s mobile phone and throwing it. In another video that has surfaced online, the politician is reportedly seen threatening a person who was trying to capture the incident on the video.

Watch Balakrishna


(Video source: Telugu360)

Earlier, Balakrishna had slapped a local journalist in Hindupur when he was trying to capture a video of an event. As outrage began pouring in, he was forced to issue an open apology to journalists.

Who is Balakrishna?

Those unfamiliar with the politician must note that Balakrishna, is an actor and a star campaigner of the ruling Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP and is contesting from Hindupur constituency in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

He’s the son of NT Rama Rao, an eminent Telugu film actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Balakrishna’s sister Nara Bhuvaneshwari is married to CM Chandrababu Naidu, while his daughter, Nara Brahmini, is married to Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh.