Since 1983, the only cabinet without Yanamala

RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: The new cabinet of the state, which was sworn in under the leadership of Nara Chandrababu Naidu at the swearing-in ceremony held in Gannavaram on Wednesday, is attracting interest among the political circles on various issues. This is the sixth cabinet formed under the leadership of Telugu Desam Party since 1983. Above all, the main feature of this cabinet is the absence of senior leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu in the ministers' list.

Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, the leader of the Telugu Desam Party remembers the name of East Godavari district. He has been in the Telugu Desam Party ever since its inception. He contested from the Tuni Legislative Assembly constituency 7 times in 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009 elections.

Ramakrishnudu won 6 consecutive times from 1983 to 2004 and achieved a double hat-trick, but was defeated by Raja Ashok Babu in the 2009 elections. In the governments led by NT Ramarao and Nara Chandrababu Naidu, Yanamala served as a minister of priority departments like finance, revenue, and municipal administration. In 1983, from the first government of TDP, he was given a post with cabinet status, and Yanamala has set a record as the only leader in TDP who has enjoyed cabinet status for the longest time. Even when the TDP was in the opposition, he was the chairman of the PAC (Public Accounts Committee). From 1995 to 1999, he served as the Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly. He became a member of the Legislative Council in 2013. He joined the TDP-BJP alliance cabinet which was led by Nara Chandrababu Naidu as an MLC in 2014. From June 2014 to May 2019, he served as Minister for Finance, Planning, Commercial Taxes and Legislative Affairs.

Yanamala, who belongs to the Yadava caste, is currently 73 years old. After 2009, he avoided direct elections. But as an MLC, he held the responsibilities of a minister. Although he did not announce his retirement directly, his daughter Divya was contested by Tuni as his political successor. She won with a huge majority.