Is Sharmila planning to merge YSRTP with Congress? Speculations rife over leader's fight from Paleru constituency

Hyderabad: Is YS Sharmila – the founder and president of the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) and the sister of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy – set to join the Indian National Congress in Telangana?

Speculations around her merging her party with the Telangana Congress Party have taken flight after photographs of her with deputy chief minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar started making rounds.

This has culminated in reports of Sharmila planning to merge her YSR Telangana Party with Congress and that she is considering contesting from the Paleru constituency in Khammam district for the upcoming Telangana elections.

Ongoing discussions with Congress

Two years after launching her party, there are now reported discussions of Sharmila considering merging her party with the Congress. When NewsMeter reached YSRTP to understand what triggered Sharmila’s talks with Congress, sources from YSRTP told that Sharmila was always open to an alliance with any party to defeat the BRS. They said that it was the Congress that approached her after the Karnataka elections.

Sharmila feels that it is an option worth exploring, given her father YSR’s legacy with Congress. Discussions on seat sharing are in progress, and clarity could come this month or by July. Sources said it is too early to comment on whether Sharmila will be campaigning in Andhra Pradesh as well.

Telangana Congress party sources say talks are ongoing between Sharmila and Congress. An official confirmation from the party leadership will clarify what role she will play. However, if she joins, she is expected to bring the YSR charm to the party, which has been missing since her family left the Congress in 2011.

Can join Congress, but no alliance in Telangana

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief A Revanth Reddy said, "We will not have an alliance with YS Sharmila in Telangana. She can join the Indian National Congress Party and work in any other state, but not in Telangana. Let her work in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu."

"Congress has given Telangana after sacrificing in Andhra Pradesh. If someone from Andhra Pradesh's family comes to Telangana and takes important responsibility, people will keep quiet. There will be a wild reaction," he stated.

No benefit from this move

Undavalli Arun Kumar, a former Congress MP and staunch YSR loyalist, tells NewsMeter that Congress has done injustice to the YSR family and that Sharmila’s joining the party is unwarranted. He also questions Sharmila’s move to join Congress or any other party if she has a rift with her brother. It is to be seen who would actually benefit from the political developments that result from Sharmila’s move.

No impact in Andhra Politics

Political analyst and former MLC, Prof Nageswar believes that Sharmila’s joining Congress will have no impact on Andhra Pradesh politics. Speaking to NewsMeter he says that Congress is inconsequential in Andhra and that Sharmila’s entry will only be a talking point because of the feud with her brother Jagan Mohan Reddy. He also noted that the state’s political landscape is already polarised between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and that Congress will not be able to make any significant impact.

Background: Sharmila's entry into politics

YS Sharmila, daughter of the erstwhile united AP CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy, was first thrust into the spotlight when she joined her brother YS Jagan on the ‘Odarpu Yatra’ to console the families of her father’s supporters who had died of shock or committed suicide after his Rajasekhar Reddy’s sudden demise. The then Congress leadership was unhappy with this yatra, which they saw as an attempt by Jagan to garner support for the CM post.

In 2011, Jagan quit Congress and founded his own party – YSRCP. Sharmila had to take charge of the party’s campaigning from 2012 to 2013 when Jagan was arrested by the CBI on charges of amassing illegal assets. After Jagan’s release, Sharmila continued to campaign for the YSRCP as the second most prominent leader of the party, which went on to win a landslide victory in the 2019 elections.

Fallout between siblings

Despite the election victory, the family relations reportedly grew astray. There are reports of a fallout on the issue of assets and Sharmila shifted her base to Telangana.

Launch of YSR Telangana Party

In 2021, Sharmila launched her own party, the YSR Telangana Party, with a promise to bring back her father’s legacy. A year later, Vijayamma, Sharmila’s mother, resigned from her son Jagan’s YSRCP and joined her daughter’s new party. Sharmila has been touring Telangana on a padayatra, walking over 3,500 km to meet voters, even engaging in verbal fights with state leaders, including Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Telangana Congress committee president Revanth Reddy and Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay.