Kandikuppa Hemalatha was born in 1951 in Andhra Pradesh, the eldest of four children of Vaikunda Rao and Shankari.
She became a municipal councilor in 1987 and in 1995 she quit the medical profession, joined in trade union movement as a full timer.
She was also appointed in the post of general secretary of All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers for the period from 1998 to 2012.
In November 2016 Hemalata was elected as the president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) in its 15th National conference held in Puri.
[3][4][5] In the 22nd party Congress of CPI(M), she became the member of newly elected central committee.