Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu

Kinjarapu Yerran Naidu (23 February 1957 – 2 November 2012) was an Indian politician from Andhra Pradesh. He served as the Union Minister in H. D. Deve Gowda and I. K. Gujral Cabinets. Formerly, he was the Legislator of Andhra Pradesh, won four times from the Harishchandrapuram. Further, he contested successfully from Srikakulam Parliament four times.

Early life Yerran Naidu was born on 23 February 1957, in a Velama family in Nimmada, a remote village in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. He has a brother, Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, who is also a politician. He has a son Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who is also a politician.

Career Naidu obtained a law degree with first division from the Andhra University in Visakhapatnam, and joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 when it was formed by popular Telugu cinema actor N. T. Rama Rao.

In 1983, Naidu was elected to the state assembly from Harishchandrapuram in his native district at the age of 25, becoming one of the youngest Members of the Legislative Assembly(MLA). He was re-elected in 1985. Denied a TDP ticket in 1989, he fought as an independent and was re-elected to the assembly. He later returned to the party fold and was elected for the fourth consecutive term in 1994.

He backed N. Chandrababu Naidu when the latter led a revolt against N.T. Rama Rao and became a minister in 1995. He was the Government Chief Whip from 1995 to 1996.

Popularly known as Yeranna among TDP circles, Naidu was fielded by the party in the 1996 Indian general election in Andhra Pradesh. Elected to the Lok Sabha from the Srikakulam constituency, he emerged as a key TDP leader in national politics. With the TDP joining the United Front Government, Naidu became a minister at the centre, holding the portfolio of Rural Development and Employment.

He retained the Lok Sabha seat in the 1998 and 1999 elections. Two days before polling in the 2004 elections, he survived an assassination bid by Naxalites (Maoist Communists) who attempted to bomb his vehicle in Singupuram town in Srikakulam district. Re-elected to parliament, he was made the party leader in the Lok Sabha.

In the 2009 elections, Naidu was defeated by the Congress party's Killi Krupa Rani, who was inducted into the Union ministry on 28 October 2012.