Former Union Minister E.M. Sudarsana Nachiappan dies at 79 in Sivaganga

E.M. Sudarsana Nachiappan, who served as Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, died at his residence in Sivaganga following unsuccessful medical treatment for a brief illness. He was 79.

The senior Congress leader had been receiving medical care for his declining health in Sivaganga over the past few days before his death.

Five-decade Congress career

Nachiappan joined the Congress in 1969 and steadily rose through the party's organisational structure. He began his political journey as president of the Singampunari Regional Youth Congress before ascending to the position of vice-president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) in 2002. He also served as the party whip in Parliament.

Electoral victory over Chidambaram

His breakthrough moment in national politics came during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, when he defeated senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram in the Sivaganga parliamentary seat. Chidambaram was contesting on a Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) ticket at the time.

Nachiappan represented Sivaganga in the Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2004, after which he moved to the Rajya Sabha, serving as a member of the Upper House from 2004 to 2016.

Ministerial role and parliamentary committees

Between 2013 and 2014, he held the portfolio of Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in the Manmohan Singh government. Throughout his parliamentary tenure from 1999 to 2016, he also held key positions across various parliamentary committees.

Source: The Hindu