TIRUPATI/HYDERABAD: Former minister and veteran Telugu Desam leader Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy passed away following a cardiac arrest in Hyderabad on Friday. He was 73. According to reports, Bojjala tested positive for Covid-19 in January this year and was hospitalised for three months. He had recently returned home after recovering. On Friday morning, he was rushed to a private hospital after he fell unconscious at his residence.
Bojjala, as he is known, was one of the close associates of the TDP chief and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Born on April 15, 1949, he began his career as a lawyer and joined the TDP following a call given by party founder N T Rama Rao. The senior politician served as an MLA for five terms from Srikalahasthi constituency.
Bojjala was a minister in the Chandrababu Naidu cabinet in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh and also in the truncated state between 2014 and 2019. He held portfolios like Roads and Buildings, Information Technology, Environment and Forests as minister. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the demise of the former minister and conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family.