Tirupati sitting Member of Parliament Balli Durga Prasad Rao died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Chennai. Rao’s death is attributed to a massive heart attack.
According to the local reports, Rao was infected with Covid-19 but had tested negative later.
Rao (64), from Nellore and a lawyer by profession, had represented the Gudur assembly constituency four times, elected for the first time in 1985. He had served as school education minister from 1996 to 98 in the TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu government in united Andhra Pradesh.
Rao has joined the YSRCP before the 2019 elections. Winning from the Scheduled Caste reserved Tirupati Lok Sabha constituency, Rao became a first time MP in the present Lok Sabha.
“Saddened by the demise of Lok Sabha MP, Balli Durga Prasad Rao Garu. He was an experienced leader, who made effective contributions towards the progress of Andhra Pradesh. My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this sad hour. Om Shanti,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy has expressed grief over the demise of Prasad Rao. He telephoned his son and consoled him over the bereavement while conveying his condolences to the family members.