Telugu Desam Party’s Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has become the youngest ever Union Minister after he took oath as a member of the Narendra Modi-led Cabinet on Sunday.
The 36-year-old was elected to the Lok Sabha from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh for a third consecutive term in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
The US-educated leader is carrying forward the political legacy of his late father K. Yerran Naidu, who too had served as a Union Minister.
Yerran Naidu, a top leader of the TDP, had served as the Union Minister for Rural Development in the United Front government between 1996 and 1998.
One of the prominent faces of TDP, Ram Mohan Naidu retained the Srikakulam seat with a massive margin of over 3.27 lakh votes.
Born on December 18, 1987, in Srikakulam district, the young leader is one of the key faces of the TDP from north coastal Andhra Pradesh.
He pursued his undergraduate in electrical engineering from the Purdue University, followed by a postgraduate degree in MBA from Long Island.
Yerran Naidu’s death in a car accident in 2012 brought Ram Mohan into politics. At the age of 26, he contested and won the Lok Sabha polls from Srikakulam in 2014, making waves as the second youngest MP in the 16th Lok Sabha.
Ram Mohan, like his late father, is closely associated with TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Serving as a national General Secretary of the TDP, he is considered one of the key loyalists of Naidu, who is set to become the Chief Minister of the state.
Ram Mohan, along with Chandrababu Naidu’s son Nara Lokesh, played a key role in Delhi in mobilising support for the TDP chief when he was arrested last year in a corruption case.
With fluency in English and Hindi, Ram Mohan has become an asset for the TDP who always accompanies Chandrababu Naidu during his visits to Delhi.
He served on various Parliamentary committees, underscoring his grip over diverse subjects. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Food Processing.
He also served as a member of the Standing Committees on Railways and Home Affairs, Consultative Committee on Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes and Official Language Department in the 16th Lok Sabha.
Ram Mohan was honoured with the Sansad Ratna award in 2020 for his performance as an MP.
Married to Shri Sravya in 2017, Ram Mohan was blessed with a girl in 2021.
Ram Mohan has also broken stereotypes in politics. His decision to take paternity leave during the 2021 budget session for his wife's pregnancy sparked healthy discussions on gender rights and education. One of the first MPs to advocate for menstrual health education and sex education in the Parliament, Ram Mohan also actively campaigned for the removal of GST on sanitary pads.
He also took various initiatives to encourage youth participation in politics, conducting youth direct internships both in his constituency and in the Parliament over the last decade, with over 175 individuals interning with him virtually or on the field.
The young leader’s hobbies include photography, which he pursued seriously during his college days. He is also an avid sports enthusiast, with a particular fondness for basketball and cricket.
Ram Mohan's uncle K. Atchen Naidu is the President of TDP’s Andhra Pradesh unit.
Two drowned in Pune bridge collapse, PM Modi speaks to CM Fadnavis
At least two people were killed, 32 others injured, while a total of 41 people were rescued after they fell into an overflowing river when an old bridge they were crossing collapsed in Maharashtra's Pune district on Sunday.
Haifa port in Israel operating normally despite Iran attack
There has been no damage to Israel’s Haifa port in the Iranian ballistic missile attack on an oil refinery nearby and cargo operations are progressing unhindered, according to media reports.
No recommendation, no discrimination: HM Amit Shah hails UP’s inclusive recruitment drive
In a historic ceremony, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath distributed appointment letters to 60,244 newly selected police personnel at the Defence Expo Ground in Sector 18, Vrindavan. Out of these 60,000 recruits, more than 12,000 comprised women.
Round-the-clock DNA profiling underway: FSL Gandhinagar Director explains complex process
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has been operating around the clock to identify victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash through DNA profiling and matching.
Civil Aviation Ministry issues strict instructions to DGCA to enforce chopper safety
In the wake of a tragic helicopter crash in the Gaurikund area of Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Sunday issued strict instructions to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enforce all safety protocols related to chopper operations in hilly and sensitive areas like the Kedarnath valley.
‘Harming Indians will invite punishment’, HM Shah on Op Sindoor
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that through the anti-terror Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a strong message across the world that the bloodshed of Indians will invite punishment.
Dassault CEO trashes Pakistan's claims on downing Rafale jets
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier has dismissed as "factually incorrect" Pakistan’s claims about having shot down three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor.
Tripura BJP stages protest over vandalism at Tagore's ancestral home in B'desh
Ruling BJP in Tripura on Saturday staged state-wide protests along the Bangladesh border, protesting the recent attack and vandalism of the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the neighbouring country.