Congress Pitches Sister Against Brother In Andhra Pradesh, Picks YS Sharmila As State Chief

New Delhi: In a major reshuffle, the Congress party has named YS Sharmila Reddy, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, as the new president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee. The announcement came on Tuesday, following the resignation of G Rudra Raju from the post of state Congress chief on Monday.

YS Sharmila, who had formed the YSR Telangana Party to fight for the separate statehood of Telangana, joined the Congress earlier this month and dissolved her party into the grand old party. She met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge after joining the party.

G Rudra Raju, who had led the Congress in Andhra Pradesh since 2019, has been given a place in the Congress Working Committee as a special invitee.

The Congress is eyeing a comeback in Andhra Pradesh, where it had lost power in 2014 after the bifurcation of the state. The party had also faced a humiliating defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections, winning zero seats in both.

However, the party is hopeful of improving its performance in the upcoming elections, scheduled to be held in April-May this year, along with the Lok Sabha polls. The party is banking on its recent success in Telangana, where it had toppled the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi in the assembly elections in November last year.

YS Sharmila Reddy, who is seen as a popular leader among the masses, especially the youth and women, is expected to boost the morale of the Congress workers and supporters in Andhra Pradesh. She is also likely to pose a challenge to her brother YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is the chief minister of the YSR Congress Party, which is currently in power in the state.

Announcement Comes Amid PM Modi's Visit To Andhra

Sharmila's announcement as Andhra Pradesh Congress president comes amid PM Narendra Modi's visit to the southern state. The major reshuffle by the Congress comes ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.  Just six days before the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Veerabhadra temple in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh today. He is on a two-day visit to Andhra Pradesh and Kerala on January 16 and 17.