Who Is YS Sharmila, The Sister of Andhra CM Jagan, Set To Join Congress?

As the TDP faces an existential crisis and the BJP struggles to make any significant impact in Andhra Pradesh politics, the Congress, once a formidable force in undivided Andhra Pradesh, is set to revive its fortunes in the state. The grand old party is ready to welcome YS Sharmila, the sister of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, into its fold.

As per the reports, she is likely to join the Congress on January 4. The move is expected to strengthen the Congress which had lost its ground after carving out Telangana from Andhra Pradesh.

Who is YS Sharmila?

Sharmila, daughter of late Andhra CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy, was a strong critic of the Congress after the party overlooked her family and her elder brother Jagan Mohan Reddy was jailed on charges of amassing wealth and assets through illegal means during his late father's tenure as the chief minister.

YS Sharmila and her mother YS Vijayamma had hit the streets accusing the Congress of doing vendetta politics against their family once Jagan came out of Congress and floated the YSR Congress Party. When he was in jail, she took 3000-km padayatra, garnering massive support from the public.

In Jagan's absence, the president of YSRCP, Sharmila, took charge of campaigning for the by-polls covering 18 Assembly and one Lok Sabha constituency in Andhra Pradesh. The YSRCP secured victories in 15 Assembly seats and the Nellore Lok Sabha constituency during the polls.

However, after Jagan was out of jail, he started the yatra and Sharmila remained home.

In 2019, she re-entered the political arena with an 11-day bus yatra in support of YSRCP before the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. YSRCP achieved a significant triumph in that year's elections.

Differences With Brother

Following Jagan's victory over Chandrababu Naidu in the 2019 elections, he assumed the role of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, relegating Sharmila and her mother to the background. During an informal interaction with reporters in February 2021, Sharmila refuted claims of being a mere "arrow" released by others, acknowledging the existence of "political differences" with her brother Jagan, as reported by the New Indian Express.

Subsequently, Jagan's chief adviser and YSRCP general secretary, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, stated that the siblings had resolved their differences. Despite this, Sharmila opted to establish her own party, the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP), which was inaugurated in Telangana on July 8, coinciding with the birth anniversary of their father, YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Thereafter, she turned her focus on Telangana politics and her mother Vijayamma too joined her after quitting the position of honorary president of Jagan's YSRCP.

Telangana Polls

However, in the recent elections, she lent her support to the Congress by refraining from fielding any candidates.

Despite her wish to join the Congress, objections from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy resulted in the party postponing her induction in Telangana, where she intended to focus her efforts.

The leaders from the Andhra Congress have been asking the central leadership to bring her to the party. As per an earlier report in South First, 10 MLAs from the ruling YSRCP are in touch with Sharmila and they would join Congress, strengthening the grand old party in the state.

Since the 2014 elections, the Congress in Andhra Pradesh has witnessed a decline in performance. In 2014, they secured zero seats with a vote share of 2.8 per cent, and in 2019, their performance further diminished to a mere 1.2 per cent of votes, falling below the count of votes received for NOTA.

Her entry is expected to give a boost to the Congress in Andhra. However, it is interesting to see how she will tackle her brother and Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy as Andhra preps up for state elections this year along with the Lok Sabha polls.