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Yanam: strong in determing political stability of Ministries

Special Correspondent

Eleven contestants left in the fray in the constituency

Photo: By Special Arrangement

Constituency map of Yanam region.

Pondicherry: Yanam an enclave of the Union Territory of Pondicherry in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh is situated some 750 kms away from the capital of the Union Territory.

The total area of Yanam is 20 sq kms and it has a population of 31,000 (according to 2001 census). An official publication states that density of population of Yanam is 1,569 per sq km. There are 18,676 voters as on February 24 in this lone segment. Of them women voters are 9,589. The strength of male voters is 9,087.

The political significance of this constituency is that the legislator elected from here has been by and large a source of stability of the governments formed to the 30 member territorial Assembly.

The late Kamichetty Sri Parasurama Varaprasada Rao Naidu was holding the constituency as his pocket borough without facing any challenge in winning the seat consecutively in 1964, 1969, 1974, 1977, 1980 and in 1985.

As long as he was alive he contested without break from the first elections held in 1964 as per Representation of People Act for the territorial Assembly after de jure merger of Pondicherry with Indian Union.

He contested most of the time as an Independent. Kamichetty was Speaker of the Assembly after his elections in 1985. He died while holding office.

The DMK emerged victorious for the first time in the poll held 1990. Raksha Harikrishna (now contesting the present poll as an Independent) was the then the DMK candidate. He then defeated the Congress sponsored candidate.

The DMK in alliance with Janata party then formed the government. But the ministry remained in office just for a year only and fell like pack of cards following a crisis then in the Janata party.

The Congress wrested the seat from the DMK in 1991. However, Malladi Krishna Rao returned as an Independent in 1996 and also in 2001. Mr. Rao was a supporter of the DMK-TMC-CPI government formed in 1996 from outside.

The Ministry fell in 2000 and a Congress government was formed. He joined the Congress and is contesting the seat now as its candidate. The decision has sent shockwaves among the rank and file of the party.

Mr. Raksha Harikrishna a local functionary of the Congress has now jumped into the poll battle as a rebel candidate and is contesting as an Independent rejecting appeals made by the Congress committee and also some delegates of the AICC.

There are 11 contestants left in the fray in Yanam, which goes to poll on May 3. The contestants include Mrs. Malladi Udaya Lakshmi the wife of Malladi Krishna Rao, fighting as an Independent.

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