Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy passed away following a heart attack on Monday morning at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 50.
Mr Reddy was rushed to Apollo Hospitals after he collapsed at his home in the early hours of Monday. However, despite doctors' best efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9.16 am.
"Today morning Mr. Gautam Reddy 50/M was brought to Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills in an emergency. He had collapsed suddenly at home. He arrived into our ER at 07:45am and was unresponsive, not breathing and in cardiac arrest on arrival,” the hospital said in a statement.
"He was unresponsive, not breathing and in cardiac arrest on arrival. He received immediate CPR and advanced cardiac life support in our emergency department. CPR was done for more than 90 minutes. Despite our best efforts he could not be revived," the statement added.
Reddy had tested COVID-19 positive in April last year and again, just about a month ago.
The Andhra government has declared a two-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the minister.
Reddy had just returned after spending a week at Dubai Expo, promoting Andhra Pradesh as an investment destination, and had inked MoUs worth over Rs 5000 crores. He even attended a betrothal ceremony last night. He also held the Information Technology portfolio.
Expressing "deep shock and profound grief" over the demise of Mr Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a statement conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members.
Terming him as "a young promising leader," the Chief Minister recalled their association for long years. "Words fail to describe the loss of my young Cabinet colleague," he noted.
Describing Mr Reddy as a soft-natured person and one who was committed to his cause, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said he was close with the family of Goutham Reddy's family since the time of the departed minister's grandfather.
Telugu Desam Party Chief N Chandrababu Naidu too expressed shock over the minister's demise. "Goutham's demise left me in deep shock. He earned special recognition as a soft-spoken and decent minister. It is immensely sad that a leader with a promising future departed so early," Naidu said.
Mr Reddy was the son of ex-MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
He was first elected as MLA from Atmakur in 2014 and then in 2019. He became a minister in the Andhra Pradesh cabinet led by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy after YSR Congress came to power in 2019.