Born in a middle-class farmer's family in Jonnavada village, Kondapalli Seetharamaiah was attracted to the Communist movement early in life. He became the secretary of Krishna district unit of the united Communist Party, which played a crucial role in Telangana Armed Struggle. Following a split in the Communist Party of India (CPI), he could not join either group and moved away from politics.
He went to Warangal to work as a Hindi teacher in Fatima School where he came in contact with K.G.Satyamurthi. Both of them were attracted to the CPI (ML) and attended the party conclave held at Gottikondabillam in Guntur district which was addressed by Charu Majumdar. He became a state committee member of the CPI (ML) and associated himself with the Srikakulam movement. On April 22, 1980, he founded the People's War Group. Believing in Mao's dictum 'power flows from the barrel of a gun', the PWG launched an armed struggle against 'class enemies'.
The PWG gained in strength by mid-1980s and recruited many young people across the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
He was arrested in the Secunderabad Conspiracy case. After killing the duty constable he escaped from the hospital where he was admitted for treatment in 1982 causing a sensation. He led the PWG for several years when it reigned terror in Andhra Pradesh and some neighbor states. In the early 1990s, there was a split in the PWG and Seetharamaiah was ousted by Muppala Laxmana Rao.
After the state government imposed a ban on the PWG on May 21, 1992, Kondapalli Seetharamaiah was arrested by the police in 1993.
The courts have acquitted him in all the cases filed against him by the police. He was released on humanitarian grounds after spending a few years in jail.
During his final years, he abstained from political activities. He suffered from Parkinson's disease. Kondapalli Seetharamaiah died in his granddaughter's house in Vijayawada on 12 April 2002. He was 87 years old. He was survived by his wife Koteswaramma and two granddaughters, V. Anuradha and K. Sudha.