Visakhapatnam, Jan 29 : Former Andhra Pradesh minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar passed away here on Sunday following brief illness. He was 70. The former Congress leader breathed his last at Apollo Hospital in Visakhapatnam. Hailing from West Godavari district, Kumar was elected to united Andhra Pradesh Assembly from Ungutur constituency in 2004 and 2009 on Congress party ticket. He served as a minister in the cabinets of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, K. Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy. He held the rural development and tourism portfolios. After bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, he had kept himself away from politics. Vasanth Kumar's body will be shifted to his native village Pulla where the last rites will be performed. Former Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president N. V. Raghuveera Reddy and Jana Sena Party leader Nadendla Manohar have condoled death of Vasanth Kumar. /IANS