Crorepati educationists throw their hat in Andhra Pradesh poll ring

TDP candidate for the Guntur Lok Sabha seat, Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, was recently declared assets worth Rs 5,705 crore.

In Andhra Pradesh, every second student appears for JEE or NEET each year and depend heavily on premier educational institutions to clear these exams. And the founders of these institutions have always been involved in politics. But this time, they have entered the electoral fray and are contesting either the Lok Sabha or assembly elections scheduled for May 13.

According to a report by The Times of India, the election affidavits show these candidates have declared crores in assets.

Prominent educationalists such as Narayana educational institutions’ founder Ponguru Narayana, Vignan University vice chairman Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Gitam deemed to-be-university president and Kautilya School of Public Policy founder M Sribharat and Avanthi educational institutions founder M Srinivasa Rao among others are contesting the elections.

State education minister Botcha Satyanarayana, who runs the Satya Institute of Technology and Management, and Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, founder of US edtech company UWorld, are also in the fray. Also, a college chain is said to have donated Rs 5 crore in electoral bonds to a leading party in the state.

Here are some of the details of these candidates and their assets.

Ponguru Narayana of Narayana educational institutions is known for shaping students to become JEE and NEET rankers. Contesting from the Nellore city assembly constituency on a TDP ticket, the former minister for municipal administration and urban development played a key role in the planning of Amaravati. He declared assets worth about Rs 800 crore, according to TOI.

Botcha Satyanarayana is contesting as the YSRCP MLA candidate from Cheepurupalli. Meanwhile, his wife Botcha Jhansi Lakshmi is party’s pick from the Vizag Lok Sabha constituency.

The TDP has fielded M Sribharat for the Vizag Lok Sabha seat. Sribharat entered politics following the death of his grandfather, M V V S Murthi, a former MP, in 2018. He narrowly lost in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the Vizag seat by 4,000 votes. Speaking about how he balances politics and academic affairs, the Stanford alumnus said his priority was serving the public. “The university is managed by experts such as the vice-chancellor, pro VCs, registrar, and deans. They diligently follow the university’s vision plan. I often leverage technology to virtually interact with the university leadership,” Sribharat told TOI.

TDP candidate for the Guntur Lok Sabha seat, Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, was recently declared assets worth Rs 5,705 crore. It was the highest amount declared by a candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

H Lajipathi Rai, former VC of Dr B R Ambedkar University, told TOI that parties often prioritise educationalists who possess a combination of educational expertise and political family background. “These candidates are favoured because they are better equipped to understand complex issues and engage in meaningful deliberations in Parliament,” he said.

Former minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, also known as "Avanthi" Srinivasa Rao due to his association with the Avanthi Group of institutions, is contesting against former HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao as the YSRCP candidate from the Bheemili assembly seat. Meanwhile, Lokam Madhavi, the BJP-TDP-Jana Sena alliance candidate for the Nellimarla assembly constituency, serves as vice-president of the Miracle Educational Society. Madhavi has declared assets worth nearly Rs 900 crore.

According to V Hari Babu, a faculty member of political science at Andhra University, founders of academic institutions have the potential to contribute to the legislative processes, potentially resulting in more effective and progressive laws. “However, political dynamics may differ significantly from academic settings. These leaders may face challenges in navigating the complexities of politics, especially in their formative political years,” he told TOI.