"Money brings many things." This is the oldest adage. Yes, sometimes it may also bring 'power'.
The richest candidates contesting in the 2024 AP Polls in both Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies are CM Ramesh, Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, Venigandla Ramu, Vemireddy, Sujana Chowdhary, Lokam Naga Madhavi, and Raghu Rama Raju.
All the above-mentioned politicians hardly know the ins and outs of the constituencies from where they are contesting. All they did was make a last-minute entry to secure the tickets to contest from their respective constituencies.
CM Ramesh, who originally hails from Kadapa, is now contesting from the Anakapalli LS seat, hardly knows the boundaries of his constituency, as stated by the people of that region. He is depending on the campaign of star influencers like Chiranjeevi and also firmly believes in his financial power to win the election.
Venigandla Ramu, an NRI who came from the USA to contest from Gudivada, may be an exception because he spent some time in the constituency and attempted to connect with the voters long before the ticket was announced to him. But he too is deeply dependent on his financial power, which he feels would give him an advantage.
Lokam Naga Madhavi, who is contesting as a JSP candidate from Nellimarla Assembly, is a multimillionaire who came in at the last minute from the USA to secure the seat.
Raghu Rama Raju's story is known to all. He never stepped into his parliamentary constituency Narsapuram in the last five years and is now contesting from a new Assembly Constituency, Undi. He also believes in the power of his money.
Sujana Chowdhary, who is contesting from Vijayawada as an MLA, is also a last-minute entry into this race. Though it is said that he hails from Vijayawada, he hardly knows the topography of the place as stated by the people because he has hardly lived in Vijayawada in recent times.
Pemmasani Chandrasekhar is the richest of all in the list, contesting from Guntur. He is also a sudden entry from the USA who procured the ticket on the basis of his financial muscle. He arrived just five months ago and secured the ticket to contest.
Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, who was a Rajya Sabha member for the last five years, has made a last-minute entry into TDP along with his wife, Prashanthi Reddy. It's a shocking scenario where he is spending a record-breaking amount of Rs 200 Cr for his wife's Assembly seat contest.
Well, if these candidates win, then it can be concluded that nothing beats money in politics, even though the candidates enter at the last minute and spend their money. If that is the case, then every such aspirant can happily earn money by any means and make a last-minute entry into the party to secure an MP or MLA seat of their choice from any party.
The parties don't even bother about the means through which the candidates earn money, but all they need is a rich candidate for obvious reasons, ranging from party funds to personal funds to bearing election expenses.
We need to see if mere financial power wins in the battle, irrespective of the track record of the candidates.
It is doubtful whether these rich candidates will show their faces again to their voters in case they win. Moreover, one can imagine how much they will make out of their huge investment during their five-year tenure.
Usha Chowdhary
