Madurai  :

Veteran Congress leader and seven-time member of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly A S Ponnammal died of cancer on Tuesday. She was 82.

She was undergoing treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH).

Ponnammal was first elected to the assembly on Congress ticket from Sholavandhan constituency in 1957. She represented the constituency for two terms till 1967.

She was elected to the assembly as an independent candidate from the same constituency in 1980.

In 1984, she won from Palani on Congress ticket. Later she won on Congress ticket from Nilakottai (in 1989 and 1991). In 1996, she contested the elections on Tamil Manila Congress ticket and won.

After her health condition deteriorated, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi called her up and enquired about her health. He offered to shift her to another hospital, but Ponnammal told him that she was offered the best care at GRH.

Ponnammal is survived by three daughters and a son.

The final rites would be held at Alaganpatti in Nilakottai where she was born and lived most of her life, relatives said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / by J. Arockiaraj, TNN / November 24th, 2015