Andhra elections: Viveka's daughter Dr Sunitha meets YS Sharmila; may join Congress

Kadapa: Ahead of the Andhra Pradesh elections, newly appointed Pradesh Congress Committee President Y S Sharmila met Dr Sunitha, daughter of YS Vivekananda Reddy at the Idulupulapaya family estate in Kadapa.

Speculations among political parties are rife that Sunitha may join Congress. However, there is no official announcement.

Ever since YS Viveka was found dead at his residence on March 15, 2019, his daughter has taken a vow to bring out the truth behind her father's death and is fighting for justice.

When NewsMeter contacted YS Sunitha, she said: “YS Sharmila is my sister, and I can meet her.”

YS family has a huge influence in Andhra Pradesh particularly in the Kadapa and Rayalseema regions. Now, if she makes a political foray then the cousins will be taking on YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

YS Viveka case:

YS Viveka, the brother of YS Rajasekhar Reddy, was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha. He represented the Kadapa constituency. A member of the Indian National Congress, he was allegedly killed on March 15, 2019, at his residence in Pulivendula, Kadapa district. This murder took place just a few weeks before the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Elections.

As per post-mortem reports, Viveka has been brutally murdered. However, the death was first reported as a heart attack but was later found to be a murder, which led to further suspicion. In January 2020, his daughter YS Sunitha filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking a CBI investigation and expressed doubts over the investigation by SIT. She doubted Kadapa MP and one of the cousins YS Avinash Reddy, who was one of the first to arrive at the murder scene.

CBI filed a charge sheet against eight accused--Thumallapalli Gangi Reddy, Yadati Sunil Yadav, G Uma Shankar Reddy and Shaik Dastagiri D Siva Shankar Reddy, G Uday Kumar Reddy, YS Bhaskar Reddy, and YS Avinash Reddy. While the seven accused are in judicial custody, the Telangana High Court has granted Kadapa MP Avinash Reddy anticipatory bail.

At the latest, the Telangana High Court heard the bail petition filed by D. Shiva Shankar Reddy, in the YS Viveka murder case. CBI counsel opposed the petition, stating that Reddy was influential and may threaten case witnesses. It is said that the accused was present in Vivekananda Reddy's house on March 15, 2019, when the news of the murder had not broken yet. However, the court faulted CBI counsel for submitting unclear answers to the queries raised by the Bench.

Fight for MP ticket:

CBI investigation revealed that the political move of YS Viveka was a hindrance in the 2019 elections for YS Avinash Reddy (now Kadapa MP) as he was being proposed to contest as MLA candidate instead of MP from Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency. Therefore, to thwart the plan of Vivekananda Reddy, a criminal conspiracy was hatched with the help of D. Siva Shankar Reddy who was an associate of Bhaskar Reddy and and Avinash Reddy, besides having criminal antecedent, to eliminate YS Viveka.

Then came the announcement of the date for the general elections 2019 for Lok Sabha. The last date for filing a nomination was March 25, 2019. Avinash Reddy filed nomination [a[ers on March 17 from Kadapa. However, on the intervening night of March 15, Viveka was murdered.

Cousins Vs Cousins:

Sources said she would likely contest the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat from Congress in the 2024 elections. Surprisingly, the sitting MP from Kadapa is YS Avinash Reddy from YSRCP, who the CBI arrested on June 8 in connection with the murder of his uncle YS Viveka. However, he was immediately released as the Telangana High Court had granted him anticipatory bail.

Avinash Reddy, Jagan's cousin, is under the CBI scanner and has been examined several times by the central agency this year. Avinash Reddy being one of the accused, Sunitha argued that the Andhra Pradesh government is supporting him and has the support of key people in the ruling party.

CBI arrested his father, YS Bhaskar Reddy, on April 16 about the murder.

Fight between the siblings

It may be noted that the newly appointed Andhra Pradesh Congress president, Y S Sharmila, started her nine-day tour of the state from Itchapuram in Srikakulam district on January 23, challenging the ruling YSR Congress leaders to show one development project taken up by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in the last five years.

She alleged that her brother and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy was responsible for the split in the family of the late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Sharmila's political aspirations were scuttled by her brother Jagan, and she could not find space in the new scheme of things. For that reason, she came to Telangana. But the leaders of Telangana saw her as more of an AP face than that of the region.