Malladi Krishna Rao Wins Yanam Assembly Seat for Sixth Time
He said his priority was employment generation and dedicated the victory to the youth, women and party workers, promising to compensate for the development deficit of the past five years
KAKINADA: Malladi Krishna Rao of the NR Congress has won the Yanam Assembly seat for the sixth time, defeating Congress candidate and sitting MLA Gollapalli Ashok by a margin of 4,568 votes.
The counting process in Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry, was conducted peacefully. Krishna Rao was first elected in 1996 and had won consecutive elections until 2021, when he did not contest. He returned to the fray in 2026 and secured victory. Supporters celebrated the win at his residence on Monday.
Speaking to the media, Krishna Rao said the verdict was “a ‘slap in the face’ to anarchic governance”. He added that the victory was not merely his own but “a victory for the self-respect of Yanam”.
He alleged that opponents had run false campaigns against him on social media and brought leaders from neighbouring states to undermine him. He said the verdict showed that voters “are discerning intellectuals who will not succumb to lies”.
He criticised the past five years as a period of “anarchic administration” and said the people had taught “a fitting lesson to those involved in running gambling dens and those habituated to illicit earnings”.
Krishna Rao welcomed the impending formation of an NDA government in Puducherry under Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and said the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi would work with it for Yanam’s development.
He said the Aarogyasri scheme would be revived, house site pattas would be distributed to about 6,300 beneficiaries, and projects including the Flood Protection Wall, underground drainage system and Island Number 3 project would be completed.
He said his priority was employment generation and dedicated the victory to the youth, women and party workers, promising to compensate for the development deficit of the past five years.
