Veteran Congress leader Gade Venkat Reddy passes away at 89

Senior Congress leader and former minister in united Andhra Pradesh, Gade Venkat Reddy, will be remembered for his pivotal role in the Delimitation of Parliament and Assembly constituencies and his contributions during the Telangana statehood deliberations.

Mr. Reddy, 89, passed away at his residence in Hyderabad on Friday after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife and three sons. His mortal remains will be taken to Pavuluru village in Inkollu mandal of Bapatla district on Saturday morning for the last rites.

A seasoned Congress loyalist, Reddy first entered the Assembly in 1967 as a 29‑year‑old lawyer from Paruchur constituency, quickly earning the confidence of then Chief Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. He formed the Young MLAs Forum to back Narasimha Rao’s leadership. Despite five successive electoral defeats, he returned to the Assembly through a byelection in Bapatla, aided by Narasimha Rao’s support.

He was inducted into the Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy cabinet as Excise Minister and in the 1994 elections was among the 26 Congress MLAs who survived the TDP wave. Later, he won from Bapatla constituency in 2004 and 2009, serving as Endowments Minister in the YSR and K. Rosaiah cabinets. His tenure was marked by road widening, railway overbridges, and rural development projects in Bapatla.

Mr. Reddy’s most enduring contribution came as an Associate Member of the Delimitation Commission and Chairman of the APCC Delimitation Committee. He highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s concerns, pointing out that the draft report would give six SC Lok Sabha seats to Andhra and Rayalaseema, and one to Telangana. His intervention ensured a more balanced distribution — three seats each to Andhra and Telangana and one to Rayalaseema.

He also represented Andhra Pradesh during consultations on bifurcation, alongside former Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy. As chairman of the Ministers’ Committee during the Srikrishna Commission’s consultations, he presented Andhra’s perspective to the Congress high command and engaged with AICC leaders, shaping the party’s stance on the contentious statehood issue.

Congress leaders, including Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, condoled his death, recalling his integrity, loyalty, and commitment to the cause of undivided Andhra Pradesh.