Sarojini Pulla Reddy

Sarojini Pulla Reddy (1923-2013) was the second woman Mayor of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, veteran Indian National Congress leader and former minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Sarojini Pulla Reddy
Mayor of Hyderabad
In office 1965 - 1966
Preceded by	Rani Kumudini Devi
Succeeded by	Mir Akber Ali Naser
Member of Legislative Assembly Andhra Pradesh
In office 1962 - 1972
Preceded by	Mir Ahmed Ali Khan
Succeeded by	Kandala Prabhakar Reddy
Constituency	Malakpet
Personal details
Born	22 February 1923 Mahbubnagar
Died	3 February 2013(2013-02-03) (aged 89) Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Dr. Pulla Reddy Bolumpalli
Residence(s)	Bowenpally, Hyderabad

Early life

Sarojini Pulla Reddy was born on 22 February 1923 to Konda Reddy and Anusuya Reddy in Mahbubnagar, Hyderabad State (now Telangana).^[1]

Career

Sarojini Pulla Reddy joined the Indian National Congress party in 1963 and in 1964 won a seat in the municipal elections. She was the second woman Mayor of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation from 1965 to 1966 and the immediate successor of Rani Janumpalli Kumudini Devi who is the first Mayor of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation from 1962 to 1964. She was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from Malakpet constituency, in 1967 and 1972, but lost in 1978 by a narrow margin of 1,000 votes. She became the first chairperson of Hyderabad Urban Development Authority in 1975. She was nominated to the Legislative Council and inducted into the cabinet by then chief minister Marri Chenna Reddy in 1979.^[2]

Reddy served as Municipal Administration minister, Information and Public Relations and Women and Child Welfare ministries between 1978–82 in the cabinets of Tanguturi Anjaiah, Bhavanam Venkatarami Reddy and Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy.

Reddy was the first woman to be president of the Hyderabad Congress Committee. She had a stint as a general secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee during Jalagam Vengala Rao's stewardship. Later on, she was vice-president of the APCC under successive PCC chiefs. She was a member of the Congress Working Committee, the highest policy-making body of the party in 2001.^[3]

Personal life

Reddy married Dr. Pulla Reddy Bolumpalli in 1945. The couple had a son. She died on February 3, 2013, at her Bowenpally residence due to pancreatic cancer. She was cremated with state honours.^[4]