KHAMMAM: Former MLA Kunja Satyavathi passed away while undergoing treatment for a heart attack at a private hospital in Bhadrachalam in the early hours of Monday. She complained of severe chest pain late in the night and was rushed to the hospital where she breathed her last.
Satyavathi was elected to the Assembly from Bhadrachalam ST constituency in 2009 on a Congress ticket. She lost in 2014 to CPM candidate Sunnam Rajaiah and resigned from the Congress to join the BJP. Satyavathi contested as a BJP MLA in 2018 but again faced defeat, this time at the hands of Congress candidate Podem Veeraiah.
However, she continued in the BJP and had been appointed the saffron party’s state secretary. According to sources, Satyavathi was confident of being fielded by the BJP in the coming election. She began her political career in the CPM and held many posts in the party. Attracted by YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s governance, she joined the Congress.
She is survived by her husband, a son and a daughter. Former minister Thummala Nageswara Rao expressed condolences to her family members and paid tributes to her. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, BJP leader DK Aruna and Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah also expressed their grief at her passing.