Former deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Koneru Ranga Rao passed away in Apollo Hospitals. Ranga Rao, who was in his '70s, was undergoing treatment there for pneumonia. His health had deteriorated early this March, following which he was shifted from Andhra Hospitals in Vijayawada to Hyderabad.
Koneru was born on 26 July 1936, and was from Gundavalli in Krishna district. He was sarpanch for Gudavallli for 20 years, and later became the Minister for Social Welfare. He served as Minister for Muncipal Development, Endowments, and Social welfare as well. He was the Deputy Chief Minister during the reign of Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy.