BJP State general secretary and former MLA and Minister Pydikondala Manikyala Rao died of COVID-19 at a private hospital here on Saturday. He was 60.
Rao was elected to the Legislative Assembly from Tadepalligudem constituency in West Godavari district in 2014 when his party was in alliance with the Telugu Desam Party.
He was one of the two BJP MLAs (Kamineni Srinivas is the other one) who were inducted into the Cabinet. He held Endowments portfolio.
Manikyala Rao and Mr. Srinivas had resigned from the TDP Cabinet in March 2018 following a spat between the alliance partners over bifurcation issues.
Manikyala Rao joined a COVID hospital in Eluru three weeks ago and was admitted to a hospital in Vijayawada after his condition deteriorated. He has since been on a ventilator.
He was a native of Tadepalligudem and is survived by wife and daughter.
Manikyala Rao had joined the BJP in 1989 after a long stint in the RSS, which began at a young age of 10. He was a photographer and did some businesses and organised social service activities before taking the plunge into politics.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, BJP State president Somu Veerraju, former State BJP president Kanna Lakshminarayana, State party affairs in-charge Sunil Deodhar, MP G.V.L. Narasimha Rao, TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu and others mourned Manikyala Rao's demise.
You have reached your limit for free articles this month.
To get full access, please subscribe.
Already have an account ? Sign in
Show Less Plan
Subscription Benefits Include
Today's Paper
Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.
Faster pages
Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.
Unlimited Access
Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.
Dashboard
A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.
Personalised recommendations
A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.
Briefing
We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.
*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.
A letter from the Editor
Dear subscriber,
Thank you!
Your support for our journalism is invaluable. It’s a support for truth and fairness in journalism. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings.
The Hindu has always stood for journalism that is in the public interest. At this difficult time, it becomes even more important that we have access to information that has a bearing on our health and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler.
We also reiterate here the promise that our team of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda.
Suresh Nambath