Chevella, Khammam polls to be costliest

Hyderabad: Chevella and Khammam are likely to set the record for the costliest elections this time.

Political leaders estimate that each candidate will need to spend at least Rs 50 crore to put up a reasonable fight in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

At other places, Congress leaders are not ready to invest that kind of money when there is no guarantee of winning. This will help the TRS candidates as their rivals will be financially weak. However, the situation is different in Chevella and Khammam where both, the TRS and the Congress, have strong chances. According to political observers, the poll expenditure may reach Rs 100 crore.

From Chevella, sitting MP Mr. Konda Vishweshwar Reddy will contest as a Congress candidate. Mr. Vishweshwar Reddy won in 2014 on a TRS ticket but joined the Congress last year.

The TRS is expected to field either Mr. Ranjit Reddy or Mr. Karthik Reddy, and both are financially strong, as is Mr. Vishweshwar Reddy.

From Khammam, many candidates are aspiring for the ticket given the strong showing in the Assembly elections but they fear that they will have to spend lavishly. Because of this, some senior candidates have withdrawn from the race. Former MP and Telugu Desam leader Mr. Nama Nageswara Rao is trying for a Congress ticket. TPCC sources said that Mr. Nageswara Rao will join the Congress and will get the ticket.

From the TRS, sitting MP Mr. Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy may not get the ticket. He had won from the YSRC in 2014 but joined the TRS later. The ruling party is now looking to field a new candidate. Mr. Vankayalapati Rajendra Prasad is likely to get the ticket. He has already printed posters and started campaigning.

Mr. Rao and Mr. Prasad both are contractors and are known to be wealthy.

Neither the Congress high command nor the TPCC is in a position to extend financial help to the candidates. Congress candidates will have to spend their own funds.