Andhra Congress leaders urge central leadership to bring Sharmila into the party

Following the success in Telangana where it swept to power, Congress wants to regain the lost ground in Andhra Pradesh.

New Delhi: An overwhelming number of leaders from Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday told Congress leadership that induction of YS Sharmila, daughter of late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy and sister of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, will help the rejuvenation of the party ahead of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections next year, sources said.

Almost 90 per cent of the leaders, who attended a meeting here to discuss strategy for the upcoming polls, conveyed their views supporting Sharmila after former party chief Rahul Gandhi asked their views on inducting her into the party, they said. Sharmila is likely to be in the national capital on Thursday to hold discussions with the Congress leadership.

Sources said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul told the leaders that they should welcome back all those leaders who left the party and wished to come back.

Congress is not looking at a “magical change” in Andhra where it has less than 2 per cent of votes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls but believe that Sharmila’s entry will provide “some traction” to the party.

Sharmila, who split with her brother Jagan and his YSR Congress, had floated her own outfit in Telangana, but in the recent elections supported Congress by not fielding any candidates. She wanted to join the Congress but Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's objections led the party to put on hold her induction in Telangana where she wanted to concentrate.

Sources said all depends on further talks Sharmila will have with the Congress leadership but expressed hope that her joining would happen at the earliest. The assessment is also that the anger among Andhra people against Congress for bifurcating the state has reduced drastically and with the party at helm in Telangana will be helpful.

Congress Andhra in-charge Manickam Tagore said the party welcomes all those voices which are outside the party and believe in Congress ideology. He said a decision on Sharmila will be taken by the Congress president.

State leaders urged Rahul, Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to address rallies in Andhra highlighting the demand for special status for the status, one capital and speak against privatising Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.

After the two-hour-long meeting, Kharge said the "important strategy meeting" of Andhra leaders "reflected on the ways to strengthen" the party in the state for the Lok Sabha elections.

“Everyone believes that the ground situation has drastically changed after government formation in Karnataka and Telangana. Every leader and worker is going to work hard and re-establish the bond which the people of Andhra Pradesh once shared with the Congress party,” he posted on 'X'.

Tagore said, “We invite all voices who believe in the Congress's ideology to join the party to rebuild Andhra Pradesh, a dream which got lost because of the (Narendra) Modi government's discrimination. Unkept promises of the Centre in the last 10 years have destroyed Andhra Pradesh's development. The Congress is ready to fight the battle of 2024.”

Asked if the party prefers an alliance, he said a decision will be taken by the top leadership. Tagore also said seat sharing was not discussed at the meeting.