Congress candidate from Chevella in Telangana is the richest in first phase of Lok Sabha poll

Chevella parliamentary constituency in Telangana is located on the fringes of Hyderabad and the seat is in news because Congress candidate from this seat, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, is the richest candidate in the first phase of Lok Sabha poll. 

Reddy has an asset of Rs 895 crore and he won the 2014 Lok Sabha poll on Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) ticket. Reddy, however, quit the TRS ahead of the assembly elections in December 2018 to join the Congress.

Reddy is an engineer and entrepreneur and he is the grandson of Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, former deputy chief minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Reddy's father Justice Konda Madhava Reddy was former chief justice of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

He is the son-in-law of Pratap C Reddy, the founder and chairman of Apollo Hospitals. Reddy's wife Sangita Reddy is the joint managing director of Apollo Hospitals.

Though Reddy is a sitting MP and he comes from an illustrious family he will find it tough to win from Chevella this time because the TRS has also 
fielded a successful entrepreneur named Ranjit Reddy against Reddy from the seat. Though Ranjit Reddy is contesting election for the first time, he has been a TRS member since 2004.

The BJP has fielded BJP nominee B Janardhan Reddy from this seat. Janardhan Reddy is a relative of party MP and former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya.

Interestingly, the poorest candidate in first phase is also from Chevella. In his affidavit, Nalla Prem Kumar of Janata Dal has declared an asset of only Rs 500.

The assembly segments under Chevella parliamentary constituency are Maheswaram, Rajendranagar, Serilingampally, Chevella (SC), Pargi, Vicarabad (SC) and Tandur. The total number of electors in the constituency is 24,42,600, including 12,64,111 male voters and 11,78,259 female voters.