YS Sharmila accepts Congress invitation to join party; to merge YSRTP

Y.S. Sharmila, daughter of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, is set to join the Congress and merge the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) which she had launched in 2021.

Sharmila on Tuesday said that she accepted the Congress party’s invitation to join as “it is the largest secular party in the country”, adding that she has helped the Congress by opting out of the race in the Telangana elections.

“In 31 constituencies, the Congress had won the elections with a majority of only 10,000 votes. The party could do so because we opted out of the poll fray,” Sharmila claimed, adding, “Otherwise, things would have been really difficult for that party.”

On her way to Idupulapaya in Kadapa district, Sharmila told the journalists that “Recognising the value of my sacrifice, the party has invited me to work with it, for which I expressed my willingness”.

It is not yet known what post she would be given in the party. Her political activity would likely be focused in Andhra Pradesh, where her elder brother is the chief minister.

“The decision to work with the Congress party had been taken in the past,” she said, adding that her YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) played an important role in dislodging the BRS government in Telangana.

Sharmila will be visiting Delhi on January 3. She is scheduled to meet Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on Thursday morning.

Andhra Pradesh will go to the polls this summer simultaneously with the general elections.

Congress has on January 4 called for a meeting of its general secretaries, State in-charges and State party presidents for a threadbare discussion on the Bharat Nyay Yatra proposed to be taken out by Rahul Gandhi from January 14 from Imphal in Manipur.

The yatra is likely to conclude on March 20 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, after covering 14 States and 85 districts across the country.

After parting ways with Jagan in early 2021, Sharmila formed the party named after her father on 8 July (YSR’s birthday) that year. While Jagan successfully claimed the YSR legacy in Andhra Pradesh, Sharmila stated her objective was to revive Rajannna Raajyam (reference to YSR’s popular welfare-oriented regime) in Telangana.

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