Senior politician and former Revenue Minister in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Kamatam Ram Reddy passed away in the early hours of Saturday at his home in the city.
The 83-year old leader from Ranga Reddy district was ailing for some time and died due to old-age related issues. He represented the Parigi constituency thrice but was not politically active for almost a decade.
He was with the Congress party before joining the BJP in 2014, whenhe was denied ticket by his former party. He lost the elections securing just 13,000 votes. He joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) just before the 2018 Assembly elections in the presence of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao but did not play any active role.
Mr. Reddy served in the Cabinets of Jalagam Vengala Rao, Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy and Kotla Vijayabhasker Reddy, handling important portfolios like Civil Supplies and Revenue.
He was first elected from Parigi as an Independent in 1967 and later as Congress candidate in 1972 and 1989. He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in 1980. He was the Chief Whip in 1968 and was inducted in Jalagam Vengala Rao’s cabinet as the Civil Supplies Minister.
Mr. Reddy returned as Marketing Minister in 1991 under Mr. Janardhan Reddy and later held the very powerful portfolio of Revenue in 1992 under Mr. Vijayabhasker Reddy.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao recalled his association with the departed leader and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family.
