Senior YSR Congress Party leader and veteran Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham passed away on Tuesday evening while undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 73.
According to family and party sources, Mudragada breathed his last at around 6 p.m. after his health deteriorated at the hospital in Gachibowli. He had been admitted on June 16 for treatment of kidney complications.
Despite receiving medical treatment for nearly a month, his condition worsened on Tuesday, leading to his death.
Mudragada, who changed his name to Mudragada Padmanabha Reddy following the YSRCP’s defeat in the 2024 Assembly elections as part of a vow, hailed from Kirlampudi village in the erstwhile East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
Born on January 22, 1953, he had a political career spanning more than four decades and remained one of the most influential leaders of the Kapu community.
He entered electoral politics in 1978 by winning his first Assembly election. During his long political career, Mudragada was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly four times, served twice as a minister in the undivided Andhra Pradesh government and was also elected to the Lok Sabha once.
Beyond electoral politics, Mudragada gained widespread recognition as the face of the Kapu reservation movement.
He led several agitations demanding the inclusion of the Kapu community in the Other Backward Classes category to secure reservation benefits in education and government employment.
His campaigns, including hunger strikes and statewide protests, made him one of the most prominent community leaders in Andhra Pradesh.
Although he was associated with different political parties at various stages of his career, Mudragada joined the YSR Congress Party ahead of the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections and remained with the party thereafter.
His death marks the end of a long political journey that combined electoral success with sustained social activism.
Political leaders across party lines are expected to pay tribute to him, particularly in recognition of his significant contribution to the Kapu movement and Andhra Pradesh politics.
