Y.S. Sharmila appointed Andhra Pradesh Congress president
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YS Sharmila, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's sister, was appointed as Congress President of the state unit on Tuesday, a statement signed by General Secretary KC Venugopal said.
Sharmila joined Congress on January 4, in the presence of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, announcing the merger of her YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) with Congress.
The move by the Congress came a day after Gidugu Rudra Raju resigned from Andhra Pradesh’s presidential post.
Congress in a statement, announced the appointment of outgoing PCC President of Andhra Pradesh, Rudra Raju, as the special invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
After supporting the Congress in last year's Telangana election, she hailed the party as India's largest and most secular. Sharmila also said it was her father's dream to see Rahul Gandhi become the Prime Minister.
Sharmila had opted out of the polls ahead of the Assembly polls in Telangana to prevent a split of votes that could have benefited former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
Sharmila announced YSRTP's support for Congress in the November 30 Telangana Assembly polls, ahead of the election.
Sharmila's new party will bank on her leadership to defeat her brother, Jagan Mohan Reddy, and the ruling YSRCP in the upcoming state poll.
It also underlines the party's focus on the southern states, where it has witnessed more success than anywhere else in the country, particularly the Hindi heartland.
Early last year the party scored a stunning victory over the BJP in Karnataka and, in November, ousted the Bharat Rashtra Samithi of ex-Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
The party is hoping for a similarly strong performance in Andhra Pradesh, which votes this year, alongside the national election.
