Andhra Pradesh | Sharmila joining Congress fold could be a win-win

If the Congress grapevine is to be believed, YS Sharmila is set to take a plunge in Andhra Pradesh politics, taking on the government led by her elder brother and Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Her newly formed YSR Telangana Party has lost its relevance with the formation of the Congress government in Telangana, with Revanth Reddy as its Chief Minister. In any case, she opted out of the Telangana electoral battle by making it clear that she did not want to come in the way of the Congress.

So, it appears that she will not do politics against the Congress in Telangana. In any case, her party was never a big player in the 10-year-old state.

And yet, the Congress win in Telangana is expected to influence the elections in Andhra next year, along with the parliamentary battle, and Sharmila may want a slice of the action there.

The growing speculation is that she will be sent to Andhra Pradesh, where she could merge her fledgling party with the Congress. It may be noted that the grand old party is in a bad shape in Andhra Pradesh, whose two main political players are the ruling YSRCP led by Jagan, and N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

Sharmila's course of action

Sharmila could also simply throw her lot with the Congress and hope for a Rajya Sabha nomination on the strength of the fact that she is the younger sister of Jagan and daughter of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, or YSR, once a towering leader of the Congress and a former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. If she succeeds in galvanising the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, she could achieve great success. But this is not an easy path, mainly due to the presence of the YSRCP and TDP.

But those have seen Sharmila's perseverance in Telangana cannot help but bat for her. Andhra Congress president Gidugu Rudra Raju has hinted at her possible entry in state politics. According to Congress sources, the chances of her entering Andhra politics are good.

She already has slogans ready for the apparent entry. One is about seeking special category status for Andhra Pradesh and another opposes the privatisation of the Vizag Steel Plant. These are bound to irk the BJP. The saffron party may otherwise not face such criticism, as YSRCP and TDP are seen to be aligned with the BJP.

Capable leader

She can also galvanise the Congress rank and file with a padayatra, like the one she undertook in an earlier era when Jagan Mohan Reddy was in detention before he became the Chief Minister.

Andhra Pradesh Congress senior vice-president N Tulasi Reddy said she is welcome to lead the party in the state as the daughter of the late YSR. “Her leadership will enthuse the workers of the party and help revive the party in the state,” he told The Federal.

Noted analyst and the leader of Jana Chaitanya Vedika, V Lakshaman Reddy, however feels that she cannot make any great immediate impact in Andhra politics. But she could grow in stature in the long run. In his view, Sharmila’s and Congress' future will depend on her ability to attract voters in the name of the legendary YSR.

“At present, the vote share of the Congress is below 1 per cent (in Andhra Pradesh). If she adds just 3 or 4 per cent to it, it would lead to the fall of Jagan’s government,” he said. “Jagan’s defeat is bound to create a huge vacuum in the state, which she can fill. She could become a force by 2029,” he added.

Telangana role

Sharmila wanted to gain a foothold in Telangana politics in the name of Rajanna Rajyam, based on opposition to BRS chief and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, or KCR.

She contended that she is a daughter-in-law of Telangana and that her son and daughter were born in Hyderabad. This was her counter to trolls in social media that she was from Andhra and had no place in Telangana.

When she entered Telangana politics, the Congress was in a bad shape. It is only the Congress victory in neighbouring Karnataka that changed the fortunes of the party in Telangana.

But her YSR Telangana Congress could not inspire confidence across the state. No prominent member of her own Reddy community joined her. In addition, Jagan is seen as a friend of KCR.

It was then that Revanth Reddy led the Congress to sweep the Telangana Assembly election, and the Reddy started flocking to him. With Revanth’s success, Sharmila has more or less lost relevance in Telangana politics.

What everyone concedes about Sharmila is that she is a hard worker. She doesn’t care about any negative portrayal of her by critics. She is adept at organising padayatras and protests for the unemployed youths and also farmers. She can resist police highhandedness and face arrests. She is a good public speaker. In short, she can appeal to the masses.