Hyderabad, March 11 Former Union minister K Sambasiva Rao died at a private hospital here on Wednesday. He was 82 years old.
Rao was admitted to the hospital on March 6, experiencing drowsiness followed by unresponsiveness.
The hospital stated that, following initial evaluation and neuroimaging, he underwent emergency neurosurgical intervention.
"Despite maximal medical and surgical treatment, the patient's condition remained extremely critical. During the course of treatment, he experienced a sudden cardiac arrest, and the medical team immediately initiated resuscitative measures. Unfortunately, despite all possible efforts, K Sambasiva Rao could not be revived, and he was pronounced dead at 11:10 AM on March 11," it said.
Rao was a veteran of the Congress party, but later joined the BJP.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy were among those who expressed their condolences over Rao's death.
Born in Dosapadu in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Rao obtained his engineering degree from the Regional Engineering College in Warangal. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1984 and was re-elected in 1989, 1998, 2004, and 2009 on behalf of the Congress party. He served as a Union minister for textiles during the second UPA government led by Manmohan Singh.
In separate condolence messages, Naidu and Kishan Reddy conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family members.