Hyderabad, Sept 4 : The last rites of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajsekhar Reddy will be held with full state honours at his native place Pulivendula town in Cuddapah district on Friday.

Normal life across Andhra Pradesh came to a crippling halt on Friday as the state mourned the death of chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday?

Hundreds of mourners continue to pour in at the chief minister's camp office, where YSR's body lies in state. The body will be shifted to LB Stadium to enable people to pay their last respects, before being flown to his native town.

YSR, as the late leader was popularly known, has surpassed even in his death the popularity of actor and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder N.T. Rama Rao who died in 1996.

Schools, colleges, offices, shops and business establishments remained closed as a mark of respect to the leader, whose last rites will be performed in his native town Pulivendula in Kadapa district later on Friday. Shock and grief over the death claimed as many as 67 lives across the state since Thursday, media reports said on Friday. About 60 people died of shock on hearing the news of their leader's death over television, others committed suicide, unable to bear the loss. Most of those who died of shock were watching news of YSR's death on television.

The state government has declared a seven-day mourning period. Thousands of mourners on Friday swarmed the city to bid a tearful adieu to their beloved leader. The body of 60-year-old YSR, the man who revived the Congress party's fortunes in Andhra Pradesh in 2004 after a 10-year hiatus, will be laid to rest in his hometown of Pulivendula in Kadapa at 5 p.m. today.

The last journey began from his house in Begumpet here after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and top Congress leaders paid homage and placed wreaths on his body. Wrapped in tri-colour and kept in a bedecked open army truck, the body was taken first to Gandhi Bhavan-the state headquarters of Congress-in Nampally here to chants of 'YSR amar rahe'.

Life and Time of YSR

o Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy was born on July 8, 1949 in Pulivendula, Rayalaseema, to Y S Raja Reddy and Jayamma Reddy
o Completed his course in medical science from M R Medical College, Gulbarga, Karnataka.
o Elected president of students union during his college days
o Completed his MBBS and took up first job as medical officer at Jammalamadugu Mission Hospital
o In 1971, gets married to Vijayalakshmi
o Entered politics in 1978 when he contested for an assembly seat from Pulivendula at the age of 28. Trounced D Narayana Reddy of Janata Party by 20,000 votes
o Contested election four times to enter the assembly from Pulivendula and four times from Kadapa to enter LS. Won all elections he contested
o Became president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee twice from 1983-1985 and from 1998 to 2000
o During 1983-1985, held key ministerial portfolios like rural development, medical, health and education
o From 1999 to 2004, he was leader of opposition in the 11th Andhra assembly. He was opposition leader five times
o In 2000, led a padyatra from Lepakshi to Pothireddipadu in Kurnool district protesting the hike in power tariff
o In the summer of 2003, went on 1,400-km-long padyatra covering all backward areas of the state
o Sworn in as Andhra CM on May 14, 2004
o Swept 2009 polls.
o Retained CM's post, won 36 LS seats and 157 assembly seats

Congress's big win in Andhra Pradesh not only powered the party to a big win in the Lok Sabha, it reinforced the party's faith in its welfare and social sector schemes that were implemented by the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy government with zeal as part of his development agenda.

YSR's programmes like Arogyam and free highway ambulance service were hits.
While Arogyam funded medical treatment for BPL families, subsidised rice also helped. His irrigation programmes, though only partially effective, did make a mark and the government managed to deliver enough power to agriculturists to keep them from turning against him. With his adroit use of resources, he was able to win the people of Andhra Pradesh.