One of India's leading political kingmakers was killed in a helicopter crash, an official said on Thursday, potentially weakening the ruling Congress party in a key southern state, Reuters reported. Yedugiri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state, helped engineer the Congress party-led coalition's victory in a general election in May. His state is home to many IT firms and outsourcing businesses, important elements of India's growing and globalising economy. "We can confirm the death of the chief minister in a helicopter crash," a senior government official, who is not authorised to speak to the media, told Reuters. Reddy had been missing since his helicopter crashed in tiger-infested jungle hills on Wednesday. Congress party spokesman Tom Vadakkan said rescuers found five bodies at the crash site. It was not immediately known how the helicopter crashed but some officials said it had been caught in bad weather. -- SPA
