After Vijayawada MP Kesineni Nani’s sudden announcement that neither he nor his daughter Shwetha would contest the election in 2024, it has emerged that many more MP candidates are of the same opinion. It is not just the opposition TDP leaders, but even the ruling YSRCP MPs too are disinclined to contest for the MP seat next time. It is another matter that they have not come out into the open with their opinion.

Kesineni Nani told Chandrababu Naidu to start looking for a suitable candidate for Vijayawada MP seat. Initially, it was thought that there was some kind if groupism in the TDP. One major reason for this is allegedly the rising cost of contesting an election. An MP candidate may have to shell out his fortune to contest. On an average, an MP constituency has six to seven assembly constituencies and thus, the cost of contesting for a Lok Sabha seat is an arduous task from the financial view point.

There is another issue, according to sources in the know. Ever since the BJP got an absolute majority, the dependence on the regional parties has come down. So, an MP post has no leverage whatsoever. With the governance centralized in the hands of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the MPs cannot influence any ministry or bureaucrat to get some project or some contract Thus the MPs are unable to take any advantage of their position as they used to do earlier.

Earlier, the MPs during the Congress regime had secured several contracts and projects in Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other states. One such MP from Rayalseema had earned so much that he had even become the CM of undivided Andhra Pradesh for two terms, according to sources. With that benefit removed due to Modi, the MP post has become unattractive, the sources say.