Kurnool: Nandyal MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy died of a massive heart attack on Sunday at a hospital in Nandyal on Sunday. He was 53.
Nagi Reddy is survived by his son Bhuma Vikhyat Reddy and daughters Akhila Priya, the Allagadda MLA, and Mounika.
His wife Shoba had died in a car accident during campaigning for the 2014 elections. His brother-in-law and Kurnool MLA S.V. Mohan Reddy said Nagi Reddy suffered the heart attack on at his Allagadda residence.
He was shifted to the Suraksha Hospital in Nandyal, where he breathed his last.
Dr Harnath, who attended on Nagi Reddy, said “It was a massive heart attack. We tried for 1.5 hours to resuscitate him but in vain”.
A pall of gloom has descended on Allagadda and Nandyal constituencies, a stronghold of the Bhuma family.
Nagi Reddy, born on January 8, 1964, entered politics as a 27-year-old after the murder of his father Bhuma Bali Reddy, and began with a stint in local bodies. He successfully contested the byelection from Allagadda Assembly constituency in 1991 after his brother Bhuma Sekhar Reddy, a sitting MLA, died of a heart attack.
He gained nationwide attention in 1996 as he contested against then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao as a TD candidate. He lost heavily but got wide publicity.
Narasimha Rao quit the Nandyal seat and retained Berhampur. In the byelections. Nagi Reddy won by 4 lakh votes against the Congress' Rangaiah Naidu.
In 1998, Nagi Reddy retained the same seat against his traditional rival Gangula Pratap Reddy albeit with a small majority of 4,550 votes. However, in the mid-term elections in 1999, he improved his margin to 72,600 over Mr Pratap Reddy.
Nagi Reddy and his wife Shoba joined hands with Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and played key a role in the formation of the YSR Congress.
He was on the YSRC central committee and Shobha was the official spokesperson. The Bhuma couple had a love marriage. As both the families were known for faction politics, the marriage hit the headlines.
Nagi Reddy returned to the TD in February 2016 along with his daughter, Akhila Priya, the Allagadda MLA. His wife Shoba's death and stagnation in his political career had reportedly left Nagi Reddy depressed. He participated in a meeting with party president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday in connection with the introduction of Budget in the Assembly.
He brought glamour to factionalism
Bhuma Nagi Reddy was known as a notorious factionist among opponents, and many Telugu and Tamil films and TV serials are said to have featured incidents involving him.
Nagi Reddy himself had spoken of how he was dragged into faction wars.
He was identified as a Rayalaseema strongman, and there are many stories on how he never betrayed his followers.
If Nagi Reddy had made anyone a promise, he would see to it that it was kept, including getting clearances and works from the government.
The development of Auto Nagar in Nandyal is said to be an example. There was a longstanding demand for the construction of railway line from Yerraguntla to Nandyal, and Nagi Reddy took the initiative to get it sanctioned.
