Tirupati MLA Mannuru Venkatramana passed away while undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital, Chennai, on Monday. He was 67.
Mr. Venkatramana was suffering from multiple ailments, including diabetes, deranged kidney functioning and acute coronary disorder, for the last few months. He had suffered a stroke and collapsed in front of his house after returning from a party leader’s house last month. He was rushed to SVIMS super-specialty hospital, where he was treated for a week. He was on ventilator support during this period. He was also put on dialysis. Mr. Venkatramana was later shifted to Apollo Hospital for further treatment.
According to family sources, Mr. Venkatramana was planning to get a kidney transplant done in Singapore as a long-term solution to his ailment. He is survived by wife M. Suguna and two daughters.
Man of masses Mr. Venkatramana won with a huge margin of over 40,000 votes in the 2004 and 2014 elections on Congress and TDP tickets respectively, a proof of his popularity. He had the reputation of “being accessible” to the public at all times. As Tirupati is a place visited by leaders of all hues, Mr. Venkatramana left no stone unturned to stay in touch with those in the higher echelons of power. Similarly, senior leaders of all parties made it a point to visit him during their Tirumala visit.
He was handpicked for the 2004 elections by late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Congress ticket, while he bagged the coveted post of TUDA Chairperson early this year from then Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. Amid stiff resistance from senior contenders, TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu not only admitted him into the party ahead of the 2014 elections, but also gave him the party ticket, exuding confidence in his victory.
