Madikeri, April 25 -- Senior Congress leader, coffee planter and a popular Madikeri resident, Bottolanda Mittu Chengappa (83), passed away last evening at a private hospital in Ammathi, Kodagu district.

For the past few months, he had been unwell and was resting at his home in Mullusoge before his condition worsened on Tuesday night, leading to his hospitalisation. He is survived by his wife Yashika and two daughters Kavya and Krithi.

Mittu Chengappa's passing marks the end of an era in Kodagu's political landscape, where he had been a dominant force for over half a century.

Beginning his public life in the 1980s as a member of the Madikeri Municipality, he quickly established himself as a grassroots leader who could connect with peopl...