Devineni Rajasekhar was popularly known as Devineni Nehru.
Former Andhra Pradesh minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Devineni Rajasekhar, popularly known as Devineni Nehru, died of cardiac arrest today, his family members said. He was 65.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP President N Chandrababu Naidu condoled his death and termed it as a personal loss to him and also a loss to the party.
A key figure in Vijayawada politics, he suffered cardiac arrest at his house in Hyderabad. He is survived by a son and a daughter.
Devineni Nehru was suffering from kidney related ailments and was discharged from a hospital in Hyderabad a few days ago.
His body was shifted to Vijayawada, where last rites will be performed on Tuesday.
Popular as Nehru among his followers, he had joined TDP when it was floated by thespian NT Rama Rao in early 1982.
He was elected to Andhra Pradesh assembly from Kankipadu in 1983 and retained the seat in 1985, 1989 and 1994.
The veteran leader served as the minister in NT Rama Rao's cabinet from 1994 to 1996. When N Chandrababu Naidu led a revolt against NT Rama Rao, he was one of the few leaders to remain loyal to the party founder.
He later joined Congress party but lost 1999 election. He, however, was again elected to the assembly in 2004 but suffered defeats in 2009 and 2014.
Last year, he joined re-joined TDP along with his son Avinash.
Devineni Nehru family had a long-running feud with their political rival Vangaveeti Ranga. Mr Ranga, a leader of Congress party and belonging to the Kapu community, was murdered in 1988. The violence following the death was controlled after NT Rama Rao made Nehru surrender.
In 2002, a court acquitted all 33 accused including Nehru in the Ranga's murder case.