YS Sharmila set to join Congress, may be given key role in party's Andhra unit: Report
In 2021, Sharmila formed the YSR Telangana Party and began campaigning against the BRS government in the state, but did not contest the elections this November
It is about a month since the Congress party won a resounding victory in the Telangana assembly elections, and there are reports that YS Sharmila, daughter of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and founding president of the YSR Telangana Party, will be joining the Congress this week.
Sharmila is the sister of Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is also the head of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
A report in NDTV said that Sharmila may be given an important role in Andhra Pradesh, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls this year and the assembly elections in the state next year. After tasting success in Telangana, the Congress is keen to win back lost ground in Andhra Pradesh. The party is hopeful that this move may encourage dissenters in YSRCP to join the Congress.
Sharmila is the daughter of the former Congress chief minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy who died in a helicopter crash in September 2009.
In 2012, her brother Jagan Mohan Reddy quit the Congress and founded YSRCP. He was then arrested and jailed on corruption charges. Sharmila grabbed the headlines that year when she and her mother, YS Vijayamma, campaigned vigorously and led the newly-formed party to victory in the assembly elections.
In 2021, Sharmila formed the YSR Telangana Party and began campaigning against the BRS government in the state. However, she decided not to contest the assembly elections in Telangana in November this year since she said the Congress was in a good position to win the polls and she did not want to play spoilsport.
There are reports that Sharmila is not on good terms with her brother, and that her party is unable to garner sufficient funds. The Congress, on its part, has seen a huge drop in its vote share in Andhra Pradesh. The party seems to feel that Sharmila coming on board as its party chief in Andhra may help it revive its fortunes ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections a few months later.
