Sujana Chowdary's proximity to Naidu earns him a reward

One of the main fund-raisers of TDP, Chowdary rose in the party's hierarchy and in recognition of his contribution to the party, Naidu in 2010 offered him a Rajya Sabha seat

Industrialist-turned-politician Yalamanchili Satyanarayana alias 'Sujana' Chowdary's proximity to Chandrababu Naidu during the TDP chief's stint as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh in the mid-1990s has earned him a berth in the Union Council of Ministers.

One of the main fund-raisers of TDP, 53-year-old Chowdary rose in the party's hierarchy and in recognition of his contribution to the party, Naidu in 2010 offered him a Rajya Sabha seat.

Chowdary, who hails from Krishna district in coastal Andhra and belongs to the Kamma community, earned a masters' degree in engineering, and soon after he established his own engineering business, making fans.

Continuing the success he gained in his first business, he established Sujana Group of Companies, ventured and expanded into different areas of engineering and services.

A successful entrepreneur, Chowdary's group grew with over 6,000 employees.

According to Chowdary, he decided to join forces with TDP "to strengthen" its activities and help the downtrodden people get "a fair and due share of the fruits of democracy."

Born on June 2, 1961, Chowdary is a collector of antique cars and also an avid photographer.