Political Diary

Shocked by the sudden and tragic end of their leader, 14 people died in different parts of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Six people died in East Godavari, five in Chittoor, while another YSR fan got a cardiac arrest in Vishakhapatnam. Two others died in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. Daily wager B Padma (44), a Rajiv Arogyasri benefactor, from Vanamalla in Punganur, collapsed on hearing the news of YSR's death at 10 am and died. Parvathamma (22), from Kummaragunta village in Punganur mandal, too died of shock. An ardent fan of YSR, N Raja Reddy, 52, a shopkeeper in Piler, died of cardiac arrest as soon as he saw YSR's death on television. "The people around him tried to resuscitate him, but he was declared brought dead by doctors at a hospital,'' a relative said. A farmer from Kadapa, Narsaiah (75), who came to Piler on personal work along with his wife and children two days ago, died of cardiac arrest after hearing the tragic news. In Durgasamudram, Shankaramma (37), a daily wage labourer, who recently underwent a heart surgery under Arogyasri, died at around 6 pm. A degree student, Laxminarayana (19), studying in Chittoor Government Degree College, consumed pesticide. "My son could not take the sad news and resorted to the extreme step,'' his weeping mother C Lakshmamma said. The family hail from Chowdepalle mandal. In East Godavari, six people died in the aftermath of YSR's death, while former minister Jakkampudi Ramamohan Rao fainted upon hearing the news. Four died of heart attack, two others hanged themselves unable to bear the grief. According to district police, N Yesubabu (20), of Narendrapuram in Rajanagaram mandal and Achanta Ramakrishna (48), of Nagaram in Mamidikuduru mandal committed suicide.