On Tuesday, the Congress party announced the appointment of YS Sharmila Reddy as the president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, a position left vacant by the resignation of G Rudra Raju. YS Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, recently joined the Congress, merging her YSR Telangana Party with the party.
The decision to appoint YS Sharmila came just a day after G Rudra Raju stepped down as the Congress chief in the state. The party release stated, “Congress President has appointed YS Sharmila Reddy as president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect.” In a notable move, G Rudra Raju has been assigned the role of a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
This strategic move by the Congress in Andhra Pradesh is seen as a significant development in the lead-up to the upcoming assembly polls, scheduled to be held concurrently with the Lok Sabha polls expected in April-May this year. The Congress leadership in the state is optimistic about the party’s prospects, drawing inspiration from its recent success in the Telangana assembly polls held in November of the preceding year. Notably, the Congress emerged victorious, displacing the Bharat Rashtra Samithi from power in Telangana.
After her induction into the Congress, YS Sharmila had a crucial meeting with the party chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, indicating a collaborative effort to strengthen the party’s presence in Andhra Pradesh.