Former Cheriyal MLA Gorla Siddaiah dies at 95 in Hyderabad

Former Cheriyal MLA Gorla Siddaiah died at 95 at his Hyderabad residence on Sunday. A Congress (I) leader, he won the 1978 Assembly election but lost in 1983. Siddaiah was also a witness to the 1948 Razakar attack on Bairanpally village.

Siddipet: Former Cheriyal MLA Gorla Siddaiah (95) passed away due to age-related sickness at his Hyderabad residence on Sunday.

Siddaiah was born and brought up at Bairanpally in Dhoolmitta mandal. The village was known for taking on Razakars during the Telangana armed rebellion in which nearly 100 villagers were killed.

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Siddaiah contested on Congress (I) ticket from the constituency in 1978 and defeated Nimma Raji Reddy with a margin of 7,056 votes. While Siddaiah polled 18,547 votes, his rival Raji Reddy got 11,491 votes.

In 1983 assembly elections, Siddaiah lost to Raji Reddy by 7,819 votes. Siddaiah’s wife Shanthamma died three years ago. Since then, he has been staying with his son Bhaskar, who is practicing as an advocate in Hyderabad. Siddaiah was 17-years old when Razakars, the private military of Nizam, attacked the village on August 27, 1948.

The funeral of Siddaiah will be performed in Hyderabad. Cheriyal constituency was abolished in 2009 and merged with the neighbouring Janagaon constituency in 2009. Several Congress leaders, including constituency in-charge Kommuri Prathap Reddy, paid tributes to Siddaiah.