Hyderabad: YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) merged with the Congress in Telangana on Thursday. The party chief YS Sharmila's purported move to forge close proximity with Congress is likely to bolster her party's ambition to jump in the political bandwagon in Andhra Pradesh, which goes to polls in the first quarter of this year.
Sharmila was welcomed by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge at the party headquarters on the day. She flew directly to Delhi from Vijayawada on Wednesday evening with her husband Anil. Besides Kharge, Rahul Gandhi was also present at the event. Soon after joning the Congress, Sharmila said, "I am very happy to join the Congress party today, merging the YSR Telangana party with the Congress party. It was my father's dream to make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister, and I will work towards it."
In the background of Sharmila joining the Congress, it has become interesting to see what responsibilities the party will assign to her. Will they give a post in AICC? Will they hand over responsibility to AP Congress? There is a lot of speculation going on. The merger came a day after Sharmila announced her readiness to join the Grand Old Party during her visit to Idupulapaya. On Wednesday, Sharmila, who is also the sister of Andhra CM Jaganmohan Reddy, said she will soon be meeting the Congress top brass in New Delhi.
The politically significant move by the YSRTP chief Sharmila, who is also the daughter of ex-CM of Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhar Reddy, comes days after the Congress party won the Telangana assembly elections. During the recent assembly elections in Telangana, YS Sharmila constantly rendered her support to the Congress party. She clarified that she did not contest the polls as it would have led to spilling of votes.
Ahead of the Telangana assembly elections, she has said, "I am extending support to the Congress party because it stands the chance of winning in the Telangana Assembly elections... KCR has not fulfilled any of the promises he made to the people in his 9-year tenure. And that's the only reason I do not want KCR to come to power... I, as the YSR's daughter risk Congress' chance, because I tend to pull the Congress vote bank."
Highlighting the significance of the support, she stated that the Congress party's victory in 31 seats in Telangana was largely due to their abstention from contesting. "In more than 55 constituencies I am going to affect the Congress vote bank and in more than 20 constituencies, I am going to help Congress lose in case I contest," she said.
YS Sharmila could be given a key post in the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Sharmila is also expected to play a role in the elections of Andhra Pradesh which will also be held next year. Congress won an absolute majority in Telangana for the first time, winning 64 of 119 seats. Bharat Rashtra Samithi, which ruled India's youngest state for 10 years, won 38 seats.
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