After impressing Andhra, will YS Sharmila campaign for Congress in North?

YS Sharmila has breathed new life into the Andhra Pradesh unit of the Congress, which was completely in a shambles. The party has fielded candidates in all Lok Sabha constituencies and Assembly segments as the state and parliamentary elections are being held simultaneously here.

Sharmila has toured the state extensively for the revival of the Grand Old Party, impressing people with speeches delivered in the signature style of her father YS Rajasekhara Reddy, or YSR, as the late chief minister was popularly called.

She has hurled questions at both the ruling YSR Congress Party, helmed by her brother Jagan Mohan Reddy, and the TDP-Jana Sena alliance that has joined hands with the BJP. Sharmila has claimed that the YSRCP can no longer save the people and has called upon them to not vote such a party to power again.

Sharmila’s rise

An impressed Congress fielded Sharmila from the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, against sitting MP YS Avinash Reddy of the YSRCP. She launched a spirited campaign against Avinash Reddy — who is an accused in the murder of former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy — urging voters to stop him from climbing the steps of Parliament.

Sharmila also brought Rahul Gandhi on board the party’s election campaign in the state, as the senior Congress leader assured the public that the Congress would work to resolve the problems of the state once it is voted to power.

Noticed by top brass

In this backdrop, the Congress’s top leadership is reported to have felt it necessary to rope in Sharmila for the party’s election campaign in North India as well. Many Congress leaders have also informed Sonia Gandhi about Sharmila’s charismatic quality as a leader. It is reported that both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi think that it would be good to campaign with Sharmila in some states.

As the election campaign in Andhra Pradesh is over and there is time till the votes are counted, it is also important to campaign well among the youth if the Congress is to increase its strength in the North.

Mother’s video

Meanwhile, YSR’s wife YS Vijayamma has released a video appealing to the voters of Kadapa Lok Sabha seat to vote for Sharmila and ensure her victory. The video has gone viral in the northern states. Although people in Andhra Pradesh do not pay much attention to it, it is understood that the people of North India are watching the politics unfolding in Andhra Pradesh with keen interest.

The video is also reported to have come to the notice of many Congress leaders across the country. In addition, a campaign is on that Sharmila carries the same charisma as fer father and uses it to good effect.

Free hand

Sonia Gandhi is learned to have given her a free hand to take any decision in Andhra Pradesh vis-à-vis the party. No surprise then that Sharmila took decisions on her own in the selection of both Assembly and Lok Sabha candidates and submitted the list directly to the Congress leadership, which was approved by the Congress top brass in its entirety.

Sharmila has undoubtedly gained prominence in the inner circle of the Congress and the party is planning to utilise her campaigning acumen in other states as well. Measures have also been taken to focus on party-building in Andhra Pradesh on a large scale.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Andhra Pradesh)