Puducherry Minister Malladi Krishna Rao called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Amid criticism faced by the ruling All India N R Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party combine over the long delay in holding Speaker election and portfolio allocation after returning to power post the Assembly polls, Minister and AINRC legislator Malladi Krishna Rao met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister for Labour and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya during his two-day stay in New Delhi.He met Ms. Sitharaman on Thursday evening and Mr. Mandaviya, who was handling BJP’s Assembly elections in Puducherry, on Friday morning. The meeting assumed importance as Chief Minister and AINRC founder N. Rangasamy was yet to initiate the process to hold election for the Speaker post and allocate portfolios to five Ministers — three representing the AINRC and two from the BJP — after the National Democratic Alliance secured majority in the elections.Mr. Rao denied discussing any politics with the two Union Ministers. “The meeting was purely for administrative matters. I met the Finance Minister to seek assistance for organising the Godavari Pushakaram event in Yanam. A representation was given to Mr. Mandaviya seeking ₹300 crore for sports infrastructure projects in the Union Territory. I did not discuss anything related to portfolio allocation or politics with either of them,” Mr. Rao told The Hindu.The Yanam legislator said he had sought around ₹48 crore for organising the Godavari Pushakaram, which is a spiritual event held once in 12 years to worship the sacred river scheduled to be held in 2027 in Andhra Pradesh and Yanam. Mr. Rao said he had requested Union Sports Minister to sanction a National Sports University and National Centre of Excellence in Puducherry.“Nothing else apart from these subjects came up for discussion with the Ministers,” he added.However, a BJP leader said, “Mr. Mandaviya was not just handling elections for the BJP; he was the one who held preliminary talks with Chief Minister on government formation and power sharing formula. So he must have discussed with Mr. Rao, the stalemate over Speaker election and portfolio allocation.” Published - July 17, 2026 08:04 pm IST
