Two former NRIs, who will contest the ongoing Lok Sabha elections from Telugu states, have emerged as richest candidates across the country.
With family assets of more than Rs 5,705 crore, Pemmasani Chandrasekhar is the richest candidate in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 so far. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate from Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur constituency on Monday declared his family assets in the affidavit submitted to the Election Commission while filing his nomination for the May 13 election.
Hailing from rural background, Chandrasekhar was a Telugu-medium student who graduated from Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad in 1999. Known for providing orientation and teaching for medical and other professional courses for Indian students in the USA, Chandrashekhar has been actively involved in Telugu Desam politics in the USA.
In fact, Chandashekhar had been trying for a TDP ticket for a decade to contest the parliament polls. In 2014 and 2019, he tried for Narsaraopeat seat, his native Lok Sabha constituency, in the same district. However, his name did not figure in the TDP list in both elections.
He was actively involved in philanthropic activities in Guntur and Narsaraopeat constituencies for a long time.
Another candidate, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, the BJP candidate from Chevella Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana is the second-richest contender with declared family assets of Rs 4,568 crores. The former MP of BRS, he lost by a narrow margin in 2019 parliament elections as Congress candidate.
An Alumnus of prestigious Hyderabad Public School, he completed his engineering in electrical from the University of Madras before proceeding to USA for post-graduation.
Vishweshwar Reddy had worked in electrical giant GE in the USA and later he set up his own business in New Jersey.
Married to Sangita Reddy, youngest daughter of Dr. Pratap C. Reddy of Apollo Healthcare group, Vishweshwar Reddy is grandson of late Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, a tallest Congress leader after whom Ranga Reddy district was named.
The former NRIs Lavu Krishnadevarayulu, sitting MP from Narsaraopeat of YSRCP, has now switched to TDP and contesting from the same seat on behalf of TDP. Sunilkumar Chellamshetty, is contesting again from Lok Sabha for the third time, however, this time he is TDP candidate.
Moreover, several NRIs are contesting in Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh on TDP and YSRCP tickets.
All these candidates have significant financial backgrounds where their earnings abroad brought them into electoral battle back home apart from their caste equations.
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