In a heartfelt decision, a 94-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh has voluntarily given up her US citizenship and applied to regain her Indian citizenship, saying she wishes to spend her final days and die as an Indian in her native village.
Kondragunta Mahalakshmamma, originally from Chinthagumpala village in Chinaganjam mandal, appeared before Bapatla District Collector V Vinod Kumar to complete the required legal formalities. During the proceedings, she took the oath of allegiance in Telugu, affirming her faith in the Constitution of India and her commitment to fulfilling the duties of an Indian citizen.
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Mahalakshmamma had moved to the United States after the death of her husband and lived there with her son, oncologist Dr K Buchaiah Choudhary. She became a US citizen in July 2000 and spent nearly two decades abroad before returning to India in 2018 to settle permanently in her hometown.
Although she currently holds Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status, she decided to renounce her US citizenship and apply for the restoration of Indian citizenship. District officials verified her documents after she completed the oath, with her son assisting her in reading the Telugu version due to her age.
Collector Vinod Kumar described the occasion as emotional, saying Mahalakshmamma had expressed a strong desire to live the remainder of her life in India and have her last rites performed in her homeland. He added that the district administration has completed the required procedures and forwarded her application and report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which will make the final decision on her citizenship request.
