Likely polarization of Balija-Backward Class community votes worries YSRCP in Tirupati

TIRUPATI: The likely polarization of the dominant Balija-Backward Class community votes, has become a major concern for the ruling YSRCP at the Tirupati assembly constituency in the 2024 elections.
While the YSRCP has fielded Tirupati municipal corporation deputy mayor Bhumana Abhinay Reddy as it's MLA nominee, the Jana Sena has fielded former Chittoor legislator Arani Sreenivasulu as it's candidate.
Though the YSRCP tried to diminish Arani Sreenivasulu's winnability prospects by portraying him as a non-local, the Jana Sena candidate hitting back at incumbent legislator Bhumana Karunakar Reddy's family, by labelling them too as non-locals, as they originally hail from Nandalur in Kadapa district, the "non local" issue hasn't turned out to be a major poll factor now.
On the other hand, following a series of meetings held by the TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena chief Pavan Kalyan and the BJP state leadership, with their respective local leaders at Tirupati,
A series of meetings held in the last couple of weeks, by TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena chief Pavan Kalyan, with their respective party functionaries, the NDA alliance has focused it's attention on polarizing the dominant Balija and BC community votes in order to seal off the victory chances of the Jana Sena nominee at the Tirupati assembly constituency.
With the elections to the Tirupati assembly turning out to be a "caste war" and with the Jana Sena pinning high hopes on this prestigious assembly constituency, the ruling YSRCP is treading very cautiously in terms of firmly holding onto its own flock of dominant Balija leaders, as the Jana Sena is pulling all stops, to woo as many Balija community leaders as possible to cement its chances.
While Bhumana Abhinay Reddy is showcasing the transformation of the temple city into world-class smart city in terms of improved internal roads infrastructure and has also been trying to highlight numerous development works grounded during the YSRCP regime in the city, the Jana Sena is highlighting the failures of the YSRCP govt at the state level in order to woo the voters in its favour.
And as the YSRCP and the NDA alliance parties were already involved in a series of attacks on each other during the campaign phase, all eyes are on the preparedness of the election authorities for the polling day scheduled on May 13, to see if a free and fair atmosphere for the denizens of the temple city to cast their franchise will prevail on the polling day.