A political thriller plays out in the former French colony of Yanam which is nestled along the Godavari river delta and shares a border with Andhra Pradesh.
The remnants of French rule can be found in this corner of the state. A new world opens up as soon as the lush green landscapes of the East Godavari district are left behind. Yanam, a town of 40,000 voters, has a distinct architecture, culture and influences, a sure-shot giveaway of its French connection. For almost 200 years, Yanam remained a French colony under the intimidating shadow of the British. In 1954, it was merged with independent India following a rebellious act of locals and a police action. Now, the town situated on the banks of River Godavari forms one of the 30 Assembly segments of Puducherry Union Territory (UT).
The politics of Yanam is quite different from the politics of the region it is partially surrounded by. Andhra Pradesh is known for its aggressive politics with even an average voter mostly being politically active or aware. Dominated by the Telugu-speaking electorate, Yanam, in contrast, has a reputation for practising a laid-back version of politics. The voters here seldom change their representatives and the challengers are far and few. In the last 6 decades, two MLAs have completely dominated the elections winning 12 times.
Locals share another striking fact—none of the biological successors of the winning candidates either contested or won elections. But, that does not seem to be true in the case of losing candidates. Srinivas Ashok, the new MLA of Yanam achieved what his father set out to but could not. The 28-year-old has emerged as a giant killer in the recently-held Assembly elections by defeating the current Chief Minister of Puducherry, N. Rangaswamy in a close fight.
“I was never keen on politics. I don’t have a strong connection with Yanam as I grew up in Kakinada (AP). I don't even know a lot of people here,” said Ashok, an MBA graduate turned businessman. According to him, his life took an unexpected turn this year drawing him into an old political feud.
Ashok’s father, G. Gangadhara Pratap, a local leader, contested two Assembly elections and lost both. His principal political opponent was Malladi Krishna Rao, a former Puducherry minister and a local strongman who has been an MLA for the most part of the last 25 years. In 2000, a by-election was held in Yanam and Pratap stood against former Chief Minister P. Shanmugam. He was supported by former MLA Malladi Krishna Rao who ensured victory for the former CM. A few years later, Pratap passed away.
20 years later, history repeated itself in the quaint town as Pratap’s son, Ashok found himself fighting another former CM, Rangaswamy, again backed by Malladi Krishna Rao. This time around, the result was different. He could fulfil his “father’s dream.”
“My father wanted to keep me away from politics and that is the reason why I never lived in Yanam. I completed my post-graduation, got into the construction business and got married. I used to occasionally go to Yanam as my close relatives still live there. Though my father died in 2005, he had created a platform for me. When I interacted with people there, it felt like they were waiting for someone to bring in a change," he said.
Early this year, he soft launched himself in public life through the "Namaste Yanam" programme, a three-month-long padayatra (walkathon) covering every household in the town. According to him, the idea was to understand the problems of the residents and the changes they desired. As luck would have it, around the same time, the Congress government in Puducherry lost the majority resulting in fresh elections.
The five-time MLA of Yanam and former Puducherry Health Minister, Malladi Krishna Rao refused to contest this time. Instead, the former Congressman threw his weight behind the founder of the All India NR Congress and the then two-time CM, N. Rangaswamy, who chose Yanam to be the second seat along with his home constituency, Thattanchavady.
The Congress did not field any candidate, almost making it look like a cakewalk for the Rangaswamy-Malladi duo.
On the other hand, Ashok decided to take the plunge as an independent, with no party cadre or prior experience. Closer to the elections, the town witnessed intense political action as it was reported that clashes resulted in injuries and property damages. Then there was alleged kidnap drama which unfolded amidst allegations and counter-allegations by both sides.
“Throughout my campaign, I focused on talking about corruption and irregularities taking place for many years. I also emphasised the need for better healthcare and facilities in town,” said Ashok.
As the polling day got nearer, a new challenge came up for Ashok. He claims that eight days before the polls, he was allowed the election symbol of his choice—a whistle. In order to quickly popularise it and register in the minds of people, he distributed, wore it around his neck and blew whistles during the campaign.
“I turned down plum offers made to me to withdraw from the race. My opponents played political 'games' against me but I never backed out,” he said.
In the end, Ashok managed to pull off a surprising victory defeating a two-time CM backed by a five-time MLA by 655 votes marking a new change in the politics of this town.