Former AP CM Nadendla Bhaskara Rao Passes Away

Former Andhra Chief Minister Nadendla Bhaskara Rao (90) passed away this morning.

He had been unwell for some time and was undergoing treatment at Continental Hospital in Hyderabad.

His mortal remains will be kept at his residence in Jubilee Hills to enable family members, relatives, well-wishers and admirers to pay their final respects.

Bhaskara Rao had earlier instructed his family to conduct his last rites at the Hindu crematorium in Panjagutta, Hyderabad. In accordance with his wishes, the funeral will be held at that place at 4 pm on Thursday.

Born on June 23, 1935, in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, Bhaskara Rao completed his law degree at Osmania University. He was first elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly in 1978 from Vijayawada as a Congress MLA.

He held a distinct place in the politics of undivided Andhra Pradesh. He played a key role alongside N T Rama Rao in founding the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and in 1983 he was elected as an MLA from the Vemuru constituency in Guntur district on a TDP ticket as part of a TDP landslide win.

After NTR became Chief Minister, Bhaskara Rao served as Finance Minister. However, during NTR's medical treatment in the United States in 1984, Bhaskara Rao usurped power and turned Chief Minister with Congress support, triggering a political storm.

He served as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh for just 31 days - from August 16, 1984, to September 16, 1984 - the shortest tenure in the State's history, before the popular wave and vernacular media support in support of NTR led to him resigning in disgrace and NTR returning as CM.