Hyderabad, June 8 (IANS) The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA from Jubilee Hills constituency in Hyderabad, Maganti Gopinath, passed away on Sunday following a massive heart attack three days ago. He was 63.

He breathed his last at AIG Hospitals, Gachibowli, where he was admitted on June 5 following a massive heart attack.

He was in critical condition and was on a ventilator. According to a hospital bulletin, he was declared dead around 5.45 a.m.

Gopinath, who has been representing the Jubilee Hills constituency since 2014, was also suffering from a kidney-related ailment, after undergoing surgery a couple of months ago.

He is survived by his wife and three children. The final rites are likely to be performed later in the day.

Gopinath, who was re-elected as MLA on the BRS ticket in 2023, was also the president of the party’s Hyderabad unit.

He was elected to the Assembly for the first time in 2014 on a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket but switched over to BRS. He was re-elected on a BRS ticket in 2018 and 2023.

In the 2023 elections, he scored a hat-trick by defeating former Indian cricket captain and Congress candidate Mohammed Azharuddin.

Born on June 2, 1963, Gopinath completed his graduation with a BA degree from Osmania University. He was the president of Telugu Yuvatha, the youth wing of the TDP, from 1985 to 1992.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has expressed shock over the death of the BRS MLA. He conveyed his condolences to Gopinath’s family.

Leader of the Opposition and BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud, Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar and leaders of Congress, BRS, BJP and other parties expressed shock and condoled his death.

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has expressed grief over the passing away of the party MLA. He visited AIG Hospitals to console the family members.

–IANS

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