Tella Lakshmi Kantamma (1 August 1924 – 13 December 2007) was an influential Indian politician who served as a member of parliament from 1962 to 1977.
[2] Born in Alampur village in Mahabubnagar District of Telangana, Tella Lakshmi Kantamma hailed from a large family of Kamma landlords.
After that she completed her MA in Pachiappa College in Madras, when her husband went to England to undergo training as Assistant Conservator of Forests.
[citation needed] She raised the issue of enacting a law for 50% property right for women several times in Parliament.
Chekuri Kasaiah who faced defeat at her hands, recalls even now that there used to be huge crowds during her electioneering at Khammam in 1957.
[4] She was in the forefront of leaders who fought to secure Police Academy, BHEL, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and Kothagudem Thermal Power Project.
She declined various ministerial berths offered by Indira Gandhi as she felt people are of utmost importance than positions.
She influenced the politics of those days as a co-worker with Vajpayee, Chandra Shekar, Morarji Desai, P. V. Narasimha Rao and Charan Singh.
Starting from the communist student's movements to rubbing shoulders with Indira Gandhi, she played different roles very efficiently.