Vijayawada: Prominent Kapu community leader Mudragada Padmanabham (73) died while undergoing treatment at Sindhu Hospital in Hyderabad on Tuesday. His passing has triggered deep sorrow among his followers and the political fraternity in Andhra Pradesh.

He had been suffering from severe health issues and respiratory problems for some time. He was born in Kirlampudi village of East Godavari district on January 22^nd, 1953. He is survived by a son and a daughter. He began his political journey in 1977 and was first elected as an MLA in 1978 on a Janata Party ticket from Prathipadu. He later joined TDP and won consecutively from the same constituency in 1983, 1985, and 1989. He served as a Minister in N.T. Rama Rao’s cabinet.

He parted ways with TDP and floated his own parties Praja Rakshana Samithi and Telugu Nadu. In 1999, he was elected as a MP from Kakinada. In recent years, he was associated with the YSRCP.

He emerged as a powerful voice for the Kapu community’s demand for reservations. He earned widespread recognition across Andhra Pradesh through his sustained struggles and agitations for social justice. His leadership of the massive Kapu Aikyagarjana Sabha in Tuni in 2016 created significant political ripples in the State.