Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani

Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani (born 7 March 1976) is a doctor by profession and an Indian politician currently serving as the 28th Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications since June 2024. He was elected as a Member of parliament to the 18th Lok Sabha from Guntur Lok Sabha constituency, Andhra Pradesh. He won the Indian general election, 2024 as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate.

Early life and education
Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani was born on 7 March 1976 at Burripalem, Guntur District in present-day Andhra Pradesh in an agricultural family to Pemmasani Sambasiva Rao and his wife Suvarchala. He has a brother named Ravi Shankar Pemmasani. Although he was born in Burripalem, he spent some time in his childhood in Narasaraopet because of his father's hotel business. He completed his 10th class in 1991 and his intermediate in 1993. With aspirations to become a doctor, he secured 27th rank in the EAMCET in 1993–94 and obtained a seat at Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad.

He finished his postgraduate training in internal medicine at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania. In the course of his postgraduate training, he served as the representative of Pennsylvania in a national medical knowledge competition for two consecutive years. Subsequently, he served as an attending physician at Johns Hopkins University and Sinai Hospital for approximately five years, teaching residents and medical students.

Pemmasani is the founder and CEO of UWorld, a test preparation company.

Social activities
Pemmasani has worked at a no-cost medical clinic, extending healthcare assistance to uninsured or underinsured individuals within the Indian community in Dallas, Texas. In India, he contributed to the provision of free potable water to residents of the Palnadu region in Andhra Pradesh for over ten years, within the Guntur district, and offered land for the establishment of a communal facility in his paternal village. He provided funding for educational support for children and adults, and has contributed charitably to local community entities.

Political career
Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani's father, Sambasivarao, was fond of N.T. Rama Rao. Due to this connection, he joined the Telugu Desam Party. He later served as the Deputy Chairman of Narasaraopet town. Following his father's involvement in politics, Chandra Sekhar also joined the same party. He admired Chandrababu Naidu greatly. When Chandrababu Naidu became Chief Minister, Chandra Sekhar actively participated in organizing events held in America during his visits. In 2014 and 2019, Chandra Sekhar attempted to secure a Narasaraopet Lok Sabha ticket from Telugu Desam Party. However, due to the opportunity given to the former Indian National Congress leader, Rayapati Sambasiva Rao he withdrew for a considerable period.

He ran in the 2024 Indian general election from Guntur Lok Sabha constituency as a Telugu Desam Party candidate, and won with 344,695 votes, succeeding former member Galla Jayadev who had announced he was taking a break from politics in January 2024.