Malladi Krishna Rao

Malladi Krishna Rao was born on 6 June 1964 in Darialathippa village, Yanam, a Puducherry enclave surrounded by Andhra Pradesh. He emerged from local public life in a region where Telugu identity and Puducherry administration intersect, helping him build a distinct political profile rooted in Yanam’s civic and social concerns.

He entered electoral politics in the 1990s and quickly became one of Yanam’s most dominant leaders. First elected in 1996, he went on to win repeated Assembly elections, developing a reputation for constituency accessibility and welfare-focused politics. His long run in office made him one of the most recognisable political faces in Puducherry’s outlying regions.

During different governments, Krishna Rao held important ministerial portfolios such as Tourism, Revenue, Excise, Fisheries, Civil Aviation, Sports, Health, and Local Administration. These assignments gave him administrative experience across both development and service sectors. He was especially identified with Yanam-focused development works and regional representation in the Puducherry cabinet.

Originally associated with the Indian National Congress, he later shifted political alignment during the turbulent 2021 Puducherry political phase and subsequently joined the All India N.R. Congress. His move reflected changing coalition equations in the Union Territory.

In the 2026 Puducherry Assembly election, he won Yanam again on an AINRC ticket with 19,863 votes, defeating Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok by 4,568 votes. The victory marked his return to the Assembly and his sixth overall win from the constituency.

On 13 May 2026, Malladi Krishna Rao was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister in the new Puducherry government, continuing his long public career in the Union Territory.