Yanam Assembly Election 2026: AINRC's Malladi, Congress' Gollapalli and TVK's Thota face off in key seat
The main contest in Yanam is between Malladi Krishna Rao of the All India NR Congress (AINRC), Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok from Congress, and Thota Raju of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Yanam, one of the 30 Assembly constituencies in Puducherry, is preparing for an important electoral contest. It is a general category seat and does not have any reservation for SC or ST candidates. Voting for all Assembly seats in Puducherry will take place in a single phase, with Yanam going to polls on April 9, 2026. The counting of votes will be held on May 4, along with the rest of the constituencies. With a mix of alliances and strong candidates, the seat is expected to witness a close fight.
Yanam assembly candidates
The main contest in Yanam is between Malladi Krishna Rao of the All India NR Congress (AINRC), Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok from Congress, and Thota Raju of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). The BJP is contesting along with AINRC and its allies, while Congress has joined hands with parties like DMK and VCK. Several other parties, including CPI, CPI(M), NCP, BSP, NTK, AIADMK, and AAP, are also active in the region.
Yanam constituency demographic profile
Yanam has a sizeable voter base, with over 37,800 voters recorded during the 2021 Assembly elections. Women voters slightly outnumber men, showing strong female participation in the electoral process.
In earlier elections too, the voter count remained steady. In 2016, the total number of voters was around 36,500, again with more women voters than men. Postal voting and service voters also form a small but important part of the electorate in this constituency.
Yanam constituency past winners
The Yanam seat has seen interesting electoral outcomes in recent years. In the 2021 elections, Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok won as an independent candidate in a very close contest, defeating his nearest rival by a narrow margin.
In contrast, the 2016 election saw Malladi Krishna Rao win comfortably on a Congress ticket with a large margin. This shift in results over the years shows that voter preferences in Yanam can change quickly, making the 2026 contest highly unpredictable.