Former Minister Gunda Appala Suryanarayana passes away in Srikakulam

Former Minister and TDP senior leader Gunda Appala Suryanarayana, 77, died in Srikakulam on Monday. He had been undergoing treatment in a hospital after sustaining multiple head injuries following a slip at his residence last Tuesday.

Mr. Appala Suryanarayana began his political career as Municipal Chairman in 1981 and was elected continuously from the Srikakulam Assembly constituency between 1985 and 2004. He suffered his first electoral defeat in 2004 at the hands of former Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao and again lost in the 2009 elections amid a strong Congress Party wave that helped Mr. Prasada Rao retain the seat with a comfortable majority. However, the family returned to the Assembly in 2014 when his wife Gunda Lakshmi Devi defeated Mr. Prasada Rao. Union Minister for Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu and Minister for Agriculture K. Atchannaidu recalled Mr. Appala Suryanarayana’s services to the district and paid tributes.