Muppalaneni Seshagiri Rao passed away at a hospital in Hyderabad on Monday after a brief illness. He was 86.
Born in an agricultural family at Narsayapalem in 1933, Seshagiri Rao joined the political school at Challapalli established by former MP Acharya N.G. Ranga in 1952. He had soon gained in-depth knowledge in rural economy, agricultural growth and promotion of quality education. He entered politics and was elected as an MLC in 1981.
A close follower of former Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao, Seshagiri Rao was elected as an MLA from Bapatla defeating Katti Padma Rao who had contested on the BSP ticket. He later parted ways with TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu and joined the Congress. He was nominated as District Congress Committee president in 2005, a post he held till 2010.
But it was not in politics Seshagiri Rao made his mark, but it was in the education sector. Seshagiri Rao, developed Bapatla as an educational hub establishing Bapatla Engineering College, one of the earliest private engineering colleges in the State and developing it among the best colleges across the country. He had also set up Bapatla Arts and Science College, Bapatla College of Pharmacy, Bapatla Polytechnic College.
As president of Bapatla Educational Society, Seshagiri Rao worked relentlessly in promoting quality technical education. Bapatla Engineering College is ranked among the best colleges and was chosen by Microsoft to set up incubation centre.
