Senior Leader Mudragada Padmanabham Passes Away at 73
Veteran politician and prominent Kapu community leader Mudragada Padmanabham (73) breathed his last on Tuesday while undergoing treatment at Sindhu Hospital in Hyderabad. He had been suffering from severe health issues, particularly respiratory problems, for some time.
Born on January 22, 1953, in Kirlampudi village of East Godavari district, Padmanabham emerged as a powerful voice for the Kapu community’s demand for reservations. He earned widespread recognition across Andhra Pradesh through his sustained struggles and agitations for social justice.
Padmanabham began his political journey in 1977 and was first elected as an MLA in 1978 on a Janata Party ticket from Prathipadu. He later joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and won consecutively from the same constituency in 1983, 1985, and 1989. He served as a minister in N.T. Rama Rao’s cabinet.
Over the decades, he parted ways with TDP and floated his own parties — Praja Rakshana Samithi and Telugu Nadu. In 1999, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from Kakinada. In recent years, he was associated with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Beyond electoral politics, Padmanabham was best known as a fiery champion of the Kapu reservation movement. His leadership of the massive ‘Kapu Aikyagarjana’ Sabha in Tuni in 2016 created significant political ripples in the state.
During the 2024 general elections, he gained attention for publicly challenging Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan in Pithapuram, vowing to defeat him. After Pawan Kalyan’s victory, Padmanabham fulfilled a symbolic promise by officially changing his name to Mudragada Padmanabha Reddy through a gazette notification.
He is survived by a son and a daughter. His passing has triggered deep sorrow among his followers and the political fraternity in Andhra Pradesh.
Born on January 22, 1953, in Kirlampudi village of East Godavari district, Padmanabham emerged as a powerful voice for the Kapu community’s demand for reservations. He earned widespread recognition across Andhra Pradesh through his sustained struggles and agitations for social justice.
Padmanabham began his political journey in 1977 and was first elected as an MLA in 1978 on a Janata Party ticket from Prathipadu. He later joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and won consecutively from the same constituency in 1983, 1985, and 1989. He served as a minister in N.T. Rama Rao’s cabinet.
Over the decades, he parted ways with TDP and floated his own parties — Praja Rakshana Samithi and Telugu Nadu. In 1999, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from Kakinada. In recent years, he was associated with the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Beyond electoral politics, Padmanabham was best known as a fiery champion of the Kapu reservation movement. His leadership of the massive ‘Kapu Aikyagarjana’ Sabha in Tuni in 2016 created significant political ripples in the state.
During the 2024 general elections, he gained attention for publicly challenging Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan in Pithapuram, vowing to defeat him. After Pawan Kalyan’s victory, Padmanabham fulfilled a symbolic promise by officially changing his name to Mudragada Padmanabha Reddy through a gazette notification.
He is survived by a son and a daughter. His passing has triggered deep sorrow among his followers and the political fraternity in Andhra Pradesh.
