After a brief lull, the probable entry of YSR Telangana Party president Y S Sharmila into the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh and taking over the party reins has become talk of the town.
Her entry into the Congress was more or less confirmed by Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Gidugu Rudra Raju, who said it might happen anytime this week. The probable date of her joining the party is said to be January 4.
There have been several analytical reports in different media about the impact of Sharmila’s entry into the Congress on Andhra politics in the coming days.
As expected, Andhra Jyothy, a virtual mouth-piece of the Telugu Desam Party, has been going overboard saying her entry into Andhra politics will prove a nemesis for YSR Congress party headed by her brother Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
According to this section of media, Sharmila will breathe a new life into the otherwise defunct Congress party and attract the trusted loyalists of her father late Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, who are now allegedly feeling suffocated in the YSRCP.
While disgruntled YSRCP MLA from Mangalagiri Alla Ramakrishna Reddy already announced his political journey with Sharmila, Rudra Raju said around a dozen MLAs, who left the party during in 2014 and are currently with the YSRCP, were in touch with the Congress.
A senior political analyst, who has been closely watching the developments in Andhra Pradesh, however, said the Congress party is expecting too much from Sharmila, whose YSRTP proved to be a non-starter in Telangana.
“She is a politically immature leader with no strategy of her own. Except claiming the legacy of YSR, she has nothing to boast about. The Congress has lost its leaders and cadres in Andhra and it is foolish to expect that all the old Congress leaders will make a comeback, just because Sharmila takes over the party reins,” the analyst said.
Secondly, the people have rejected the Congress twice in the last two elections and the party has been more or less wiped out.
“Even if some disgruntled leaders from YSRCP join hands with her, they cannot win without the support of masses. Jagan is denying them tickets only because the people are angry with them,” he said.
The entry into the Congress might benefit Sharmila, rather than vice versa. The Congress high command reportedly offered Rajya Sabha seat to her from Karnataka. The party also offered her hefty monetary support to her, if she can attract good number of potential leaders from YSRCP.
“She might get political and monetary benefit by joining the Congress. But she might not be of much use to the Congress in Andhra in the coming elections. It might not take much time for the party to realise the futility of bringing Sharmila into the party,” the analyst added.
