Meet the richest MLA of newly elected Telangana Assembly

Hyderabad: Congress party’s Gaddam Vivekananda is the richest deputy in Telangana’s recently elected assembly, with declared family assets worth over Rs 606 million. According to information given to the Election Commission in a statement issued before the nomination submission, six of the 119 MLAs have assets worth more than Rs 100 million. Five of them are sons of the ruling Congress party and one is from Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS). Both these MLAs have assets worth between Rs 50 to 100 crore. At least 90 people have assets worth less than Rs 50 million and only seven have declared assets of less than Rs 1 million. Vivekananda, who left BJP and joined Congress just a month before the elections, was elected from Chennur electoral district of Mancherial district. Vivek, as he is popularly known as the political industrialist, is the founder and chairman of Visaka Industries Limited. His wife Saroja is the general director of the company. The 66-year-old exdiputado also holds an MBBS degree from Universidad de Osmania. Vivek’s brother and former minister, G. Vinod, also of Congress, is one of the richest MLAs. Bellampalli elected, declared assets worth Rs 197 crore. With assets worth Rs 458 million, Congress party’s Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy is the second richest deputy. He was elected from Munugode constituency of Nalgonda district. A month before the elections, he left BJP and returned to Congress. He remained in the Congress till August last year before joining the BJP, but lost the partial election to Munugode. Congress party’s Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy is the third richest deputy, with declared family wealth of about Rs 434 million. Ponguleti, who won elections in Palair electoral district and Khammam district, joined the Congress in July, months after he was suspended by the ruling party BRS for alleged anti-partisan activities. Ponguleti, who has passed Class 12, said in the affidavit that he is an agriculturist, social worker and entrepreneur, while his wife is an agriculturist and entrepreneur. Former Congress Party minister P. Sudarshan Reddy has a net worth of more than Rs 102 million. She was elected from the electoral district of Bodhan. Medak Deputy, K. Prabhakar Reddy, elected from Dubbak, is the only BRS MLA in the over Rs 100 million club. Assets worth Rs 197 crore were declared. BRS party’s Malla Reddy, who was a minister in KCR’s cabinet and owned a chain of schools and hospitals for engineering, medical and other professionals, had declared family assets worth Rs 95.93 million. Malla Reddy, who had only 12th grade education, was re-elected from the electoral district of Medchal on the BRS ballot. Malla Reddy’s son, Mary Rajasekhara Reddy, who was elected from the electoral district of Malkajgiri on the BRS list, declared family assets totaling about Rs 97 million. Re-elected from Serilingampally electoral district of Greater Hyderabad, BRS’s Arekapudi Gandhi declared assets worth Rs 85 million. BRS’s B. Lakshma Reddy also owns family assets worth Rs 85 million. He has been elected from Uppal in Greater Hyderabad. Interestingly, the three MLAs with less declared assets also belong to the Congress party. All three were elected in electoral districts reserved for registered tribes. Vedma Bhojju, elected from electoral district Khanpur and Adilabad district, had declared assets worth Rs 24 lakh. Balu Naik, elected from Deverakonda, and Adinayaran Jare, elected from Aswaraopet, have assets worth Rs 28 lakh and Rs 56 lakh, respectively.