Sri Kotagiri Vidyadhar Rao was born into a farming family on
April 28, 1946 at East Yedavalli Village in the Kamavarapukota Mandal of the
Eluru district. He had two younger brothers and his father died when he was
very young.
In education, he did his B.E.Mechanical from R.V. College of
Engineering at Bangalore.
He entered into his political life in the year 1979. He began
his career as a village Sarpanch for the Congress.
In 1981 he became the Vice President of the Panchayati Samiti.
He was then in the Congress party and expected to get an MLA ticket from it in
the 1983 assembly elections. When the ticket was denied to him, in anger he
contested as an independent in that huge TDP wave and won with a majority of
about 8000 votes.
This was the election when the Telugu Desam Party swept the
Districts of East & West Godavari with the Congress drawing a blank. Together,
there were 36 constituencies in both East & West Godavari districts put together.
Of the 36, 34 have been won by the TDP
with only 2 constituencies being won by Independents and the Congress drawing a
blank. The 2 independents that won were Sri Kotagiri Vidyadhar Rao from
Chintalapudi and Sri Kotagiri Hanumantha Rao from Nuzvid. It is a great
coincidence that both have the same surname, and belong to the Padmanayaka
Velama Community.
NTR who had a regard for Padmanayaka Velamas later sent Rao
Gopala Rao and weaned him into the Telugu Desam Party in 1984.
He was re-elected as an MLA in the 1985 elections.
In 1984 he was made the Chairman of APIIC, then in 1985, the
Director of APIDC and Khadi & Village Industries.
In 1987 he was made the Director of APSRTC and later Chairman
APSRTC, Satavahana Region.
In 1989, he became the Deputy leader of the opposition in the
assembly. Between the years 1991-1994 he was leader of the opposition when NTR
announced that he would not attend the Assembly in protest.
In 1994, he was appointed as Minister for Agriculture in the
NTR Cabinet.
During 1995-96 he was appointed as Minister for Panchayati
Raj, Rural Development & Rural water Supply in the NTR Cabinet.
During 1996-99 he was made the Minster for Agriculture under
Chandrababu Naidu.
During 1999-2004 he was made Minster for large Scale
Industries under Chandrababu Naidu.
So in all he had served 10 years in various ministries from
1994 to 2004.
Most unfortunately for him he lost the election with a margin
of just 1600 votes in 2004 and thereafter his constituency was converted into
an SC reserved constituency, so he lost his constituency altogether. Losing the
constituency was a major blow to him as he had nurtured it since the time he
entered into politics in 1979 itself.
Later when the PRP was formed by Chiranjivi he gave
statements supporting Chiranjivi which resulted in his explanation being called
for by the TDP resulting in his expulsion. He then joined the PRP and was made
the Convener of PRP by Chiranjivi.
On the PRP ticket, he contested once from a neighbouring constituency
of Unguturu in 2009 but lost the election coming in 3rd with 29%
vote share when the winner Congress polled 35% and the runner TDP polled 31%.
Later Chiranjivi dissolved the PRP and merged it with the
Congress in February 2011. Thereafter Sri Vidyadhar Rao he opted out of
politics.
He died in his home at Eluru from a cardiac arrest on
20.07.2013.
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