8 INDUSTRIALISTS IN FRAY FROM AP

Eight leading industrialists and businessmen are in poll fray from different parties for the Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh. Four of them belong to the YSR Congress, which released the list of its candidates for the simultaneous polls to Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha in the undivided AP. A Ayodhya Rami Reddy of Ramky Group, Koneru Prasad of Trimax Group, M Rajamohan Reddy of KMC Constructions and SPY Reddy of Nandi Pipes have entered the fray on behalf of YSRC. Simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and Assembly will be held on May 7 in Seemandhra and April 30 in Telangana. Ayodhya Rami Reddy is a co-accused in YSRC president YS Jaganmohan Reddy's alleged illegal assets case, while Koneru Prasad is an accused in the APIIC-Emaar land deal case. Ayodhya Rami Reddy would contest from Narsaraopet Lok Sabha constituency in Guntur against another noted businessman and promoter of Transtroy (India) Limited Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, who recently switched over Congress to TDP. An engineering graduate with more than 30 years of experience in infra business, Reddy has built an infrastructure conglomerate that values around Rs 5,000 crore. Koneru Prasad, Rajamohan Reddy and SPY Reddy are YSRC candidates from Vijayawada, Nellore and Nandyal Lok Sabha constituencies in Seemandhra respectively. Other prominent businessmen in fray are infra firm Madhucon's chief Nama Nageswara Rao and Galla Jayadev, vice chairman and managing director of Amara Raja Batteries Limited. Both are TDP candidates for Parliamentary seats.

Jayadev is contesting from Guntur in Seemandhra region and Nama is in the field from Khammam LS seat in Telangana. "Politics is not a way or means to strengthen our business, but I see it as a way to make a change and bring better value and accelerate the processes of development," Jay Galla, as he is better known in corporate circles, had earlier said after formally joining forces with N Chandrababu Naidu last month. G Vivekanand of Visaka Industries is in the election battle from Pedapalli Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana on Congress ticket. Noted industrialist Kanumuru Raghurama Krishnam Raju, a close relative of Rajya Sabha MP KVP Ramachandra Rao, is among the probable candidates to contest in Seemandhra on BJP ticket. He was earlier closely associated with YSRC. The state political arena is already crowded with businessmen-turned politicians such as L Rajagopal (Congress) of Lanco group, YS Chowdary (TDP) of Sujana Group, T Subbarami Reddy (Congress) of Gayatri Group and former union minister Kavuri Sambasiva Rao of Progressive Constructions.