Pondicherry: Yanam, an enclave of Pondicherry in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, has a lone seat in the Territorial Assembly. It goes to poll in the first phase on May 3. Although there are 11 contestants — four party sponsored nominees and seven Independents — the main fight is between the ruling Congress nominee Malladi Krishna Rao and a rebel candidate Raksha Harikrishna, who has jumped into the fray as an Independent.

Mr. Krishna Rao was an Independent member in the outgoing Assembly. He had won from the constituency in the 1996 and 2001 polls.

He joined the Congress on April 6 The next day he filed nomination as a Congress candidate. He was recognised as official nominee and had been allotted the `hand' symbol. Mr. Harikrishna, a Congress functionary, was taken by surprise by this development. He, along with his supporters, was expecting that the party would sponsor him as official nominee. He filed nominations both as a Congress nominee and as an Independent. Now in the backdrop of the latest development, Mr. Harikrishna has preferred to remain in the battle as an Independent.

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