Hyderabad, April 28 (IANS): Former Andhra Pradesh minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Sripathi Rajeshwar Rao died Sunday. He was 73.

Rao, who was suffering from a kidney ailment for quite some time, breathed his last at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) here. His last rites will be performed in Secunderabad here Monday, family members said.

A die-hard fan of legendary Telugu actor N.T. Rama Rao, he was founder-president of NTR Fan's Association.

TDP founder NTR inducted Rajeshwar Rao into his cabinet in 1985.

He was elected twice to the state assembly from Sanathnagar constituency in Hyderabad in 1985 and 1999.

Rajeshwar Rao had recently launched a signature campaign in support of his demand for Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, for NTR.

TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu and NTR's son and popular actor N. Balakrishna have condoled the death of Rajeshwar Rao and conveyed their heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family.