YS Sharmila, the founder president of the YSR Telangana Party and sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy, is set to join the Congress later this week, according to sources. According to a report of NDTV, this move comes in the wake of the Congress securing a decisive victory in the Telangana Assembly polls, breaking the dominance of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi in the state.
The Congress leadership is reportedly planning to assign an influential role to Ms. Sharmila in Andhra Pradesh in preparation for the upcoming state elections next year, as well as the Lok Sabha elections. This strategic move is seen as an effort to rejuvenate the Congress in Andhra Pradesh. The party anticipates that individuals considering leaving the YSRCP may be inclined to join the Congress, especially at a time when the prominent opposition party, Telugu Desam Party, is grappling to maintain its influence.
Sharmila made headlines after she took up campaigning on behalf of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) along with her mother Y. S. Vijayamma, in the absence of her elder brother Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy from June 2012 in Andhra Pradesh. YSRCP won 15 of the 18 assembly seats and 1 of 1 Parliament seat for which the by-elections were held.