Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, who is contesting from the Guntur Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh on a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket, is the richest candidate in the 2024 general elections. Mr Pemmasani has declared family assets worth ₹5,785 crore. He's up against YSR Congress Party's K Venkata Rosaiah.
Five facts about Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani:
1. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani was born in Burripalem village in Guntur. He completed his MBBS from Osmania University and his residency at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. He then worked at Johns Hopkins University–Sinai Hospital for about five years as an attending physician, where he taught residents and medical students.
2. Mr Pemmasani is the founder and CEO of UWorld, an online learning platform. His journey began during postgraduate studies when he wrote a study guide for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) exam. He founded USMLEWorld, later rebranded as UWorld, when he was just 25.
3. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani joined politics following in his father's footsteps who was also a TDP leader. He was an active leader in the TDP NRI cell and organised party programmes during his time in America. He replaces the two-time parliamentarian Galla Jayadev, who quit politics in January 2024.
4. Mr Pemmasani's assets amount to ₹2,448.72 crore, while his wife, Koneru Sriratna, has a net worth of ₹2,343.78 crore, according to an affidavit filed by him. Their children collectively hold nearly ₹1,000 crore.
5. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani won the Ernst and Young Award as a young entrepreneur in 2020 in the US. He also founded the Pemmasani Foundation, which conducts health camps and provides drinking water to villages in Guntur and Narasaraopet.