Veteran Congress leader and seven-time Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly member A S Ponnammal passed away at the age of 82 due to cancer. She had been undergoing treatment at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai. Ponnammal made her first appearance in the assembly in 1957 as a Congress candidate from Sholavandhan constituency, serving until 1967. Later, she returned to the assembly as an independent candidate in 1980, followed by further wins as a Congress candidate from various constituencies including Palani, Nilakottai, and even Tamil Manila Congress in 1996.
In the final stages of her illness, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reached out to inquire about her condition and offered to transfer her to another hospital, but Ponnammal expressed satisfaction with the care she was receiving at GRH. She is survived by three daughters and a son. Her final rites will take place in her hometown, Alaganpatti, in Nilakottai.