Rahul Gandhi presents the party shawl to YS Sharmila as he welcomes her into the Congress in the presence of AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav)
The Congress is on a roll in the Telugu States. After coming to power in Telangana, the party has now pulled a trump card to revive its fortunes in Andhra Pradesh, from where it was uprooted after the division of the state in 2014.
It has roped in no less a leader than Y S Sharmila, daughter of the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and sister of current Chief Minister and YSRC supremo Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. To be sure, Sharmila’s entry into the grand old party isn’t a surprise, but what has sent tremors across the political landscape is her declaration that she would work in Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress must be commended for its persuasive skills since Sharmila had all along maintained that she would confine herself to Telangana, where she floated her YSR Telangana Party and undertook a padayatra. However, she decided against contesting in Telangana and extended her support to the Congress.
From plunging headlong into Andhra politics to taking on her brother is a long leap indeed. Congress’s hopes are up, but would she be able to live up to its expectations? Sharmila is no novice to politics. She undertook a padayatra in Andhra too and helped her brother in the 2014 and 2019 elections. She stood by him through thick and thin since their father’s sudden demise in 2009 until differences surfaced between the two post-2019 elections. Jagan could have offered her some position but chose not to. Jagan has kept close family members away from the corridors of power so as not to be criticised like BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Though Sharmila will campaign hard, it will take a lot of work to raise the Congress from the pits. The party is seen as the main culprit that divided Andhra Pradesh and deprived it of Hyderabad. The promise of special status is unlikely to sway the voters much. The only realistic way forward would be for Sharmila and the Congress to reclaim the YSR legacy and wean leaders and cadre from the YSRC.
If Sharmila succeeds in doing so, she could adversely impact her brother’s fortunes. Alternatively, she could cut into anti-incumbency votes and play spoilsport for the TDP. Anyway, her success would mean defeat for either the YSRC or the TDP. In that sense, she could well be a game-changer.
