Sharmila ‘ghar wapsi ’ shot in arm for Congress
It is the season of Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram in Telangana, due for polls later this year. Politicians are crossing over, jostling for tickets to contest. But YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) president and the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s daughter Y S Sharmila isn’t strictly one of them. Sister of Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Jagan, who recently met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, she dropped enough hints of merging her party with the Congress, causing political ripples in both the Telugu states.
The development is a win-win for Sharmila and the Congress, notwithstanding the bad blood between the former’s family and the latter’s first family. Sharmila is no novice to politics. She had campaigned for her brother when he was behind bars. In the 2019 polls, she lent a helping hand again with her successful
‘Bye Bye Babu’ campaign. Family differences prompted her shift to Telangana, where she floated her party in July 2021.
However, she has struggled to make her presence felt. But irrespective of the success of her endeavours, she has proved her grit in the last couple of years. It makes eminent sense for her to return to the Congress, which offers her a bigger platform and dedicated cadre. For the Congress, she brings YSR’s legacy and a much-needed killer instinct to the table.
YSR, one must remember, was the last Congress leader of great stature in the Telugu states and still commands respect in both. Sharmila’s entry will also undoubtedly be music to the ears of YSR loyalists in Telangana at odds with the new crop of leaders, particularly State Congress chief Revanth Reddy. Sharmila could give them a voice and act as a counterweight to the new entrants. This may widen the rift between the two sides, but with the party leadership keen on preserving unity, Sharmila’s ghar wapsi could also bring about a balance.
Nonetheless, the problem arises for Sharmila if the Congress insists that she focus on Andhra. By all indications, she is reluctant to take on her brother. It is mission impossible to revive the Congress in Andhra as the party has been emptied inside out by Jagan. Any move by Sharmila against her brother may dent her credibility, as she would be seen as working for a party that put her brother in jail. In an ironic twist, she might even end up splitting the Jagan vote, much to the delight of the TDP, and that will have far-reaching implications.