Andhra Pradesh political parties eye wealthy candidates like Madhu Goud Yaskhi, BB Rao Patel

NIZAMABAD: Most parties are preferring to field rich candidates for the upcoming general elections and businessmen are jumping into the political arena hoping to become MLAs and MPs.

Instead of character, credibility and sincerity of the candidates, the political parties seem to be giving priority to a candidate’s financial background as a yardstick to give them tickets in the Nizamabad district. Barring a few, all the candidates in the fray for both Assembly and Parliament elections in the district are rich.

For instance, sitting Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi, TRS candidate for the Zaheerabad Lok Sabha constituency, B.B. Rao Patel and Telugu Desam nominee K. Madan Mohan Rao, have been considered for the elections due to their sound financial background.

Similarly, MLA candidates in several constituencies have also been selected because they are rich.

Allegedly, a few candidates have also funded the respective political parties to get tickets. Due to the norm where cadres are attracted first and then the electorate, the candidates are forced to spend crores of rupees.

An MLA candidate is expected to spend at least Rs 5 crore to contest the elections in the district.

Reportedly, a few MP candidates will not only have to bear their own poll expenditure but will also have to extend financial support to the respective MLA candidates under the Lok Sabha constituency limits.

Speaking to this newspaper, a senior politician said that contesting in the elections had become a costly affair. He added that it was a known fact that the candidates, on winning, would definitely recover, through different means, the amount that they had spent during the polls.