Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh:

Andhra Pradesh Congress President Y S Sharmila on Saturday filed her nomination for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat.

Sharmila was accompanied by Sunitha Narreddy, her cousin and daughter of Y S Vivekananda Reddy, who was murdered in the run-up to the 2019 polls.

“Filed the nomination as Kadapa MP candidate. Kadapa people did not forget Y S Rajasekhar Reddy and Vivekananda. We believe that they will vote this time by keeping them in their mind,” said Sharmila, addressing a press conference.

Prior to filing the nomination, Sharmila offered prayers at her father Rajasekhar Reddy’s grave at Idupulupaya.

As Congress candidate for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat, she will take on her cousin Y S Avinash Reddy from the ruling YSRCP run by her older brother and Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Elections for the 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled on May 13.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Undavalli (Andhra Pradesh):

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee president Y S Sharmila was detained on Thursday on her way to the Secretariat in Guntur district, along with party leaders and activists as part of the ‘Chalo Secretariat’ protest walk to submit a representation, a police official said.

Guntur district superintendent of police Tushar Dudi told news agency PTI that Sharmila was briefly detained.

“Y S Sharmila and other Congress leaders were detained for about three hours and let off. Police detained us near Undavalli at the entrance of the riverside road leading to the Secretariat,” APCC vice-president K Sivaji said.

Mr Sivaji said police moved the detained leaders to Mangalagiri Rural police station and took their signatures.

Y S Sharmila highlighted that she and Congress leaders were allegedly illegally arrested when they set off to the Secretariat to submit a representation demanding a mega District Selection Committee (DSC) teacher recruitment notification but not a ‘deceitful one’.

“Political power is not permanent, remember that. There is no freedom in our state to even submit a representation. It seems there is nobody in the Secretariat to receive the representation. The CM doesn’t go there, ministers are absent and officers also don’t go. This is proof enough to say that they don’t know how to rule,” Sharmila said in a post on ‘X.’ Earlier on Thursday, around 40 Congress activists were arrested in Vijayawada for blocking traffic and raising slogans as part of the planned protest walk to the Secretariat, against the recent DSC notification to recruit teachers.

The Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) had called for a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ protest walk today from its office Andhra Ratna Bhavan in Vijayawada in NTR District to the Secretariat in Guntur district.

“We have arrested around 40 people (Congress activists) for obstructing traffic and raising slogans on Eluru Road. We have removed them,” Vijayawada South deputy commissioner of police (DCP) B Ravi Kiran told PTI.

Ms Sharmila said the YSRCP government was making arrests when the Congress party is standing by unemployed people.

She demanded that the government apologise to unemployed people as it reportedly promised 23,000 jobs but notified only around 6,000 in the DSC notification.

“Under the autocratic rule of YSRCP, arrests are being made when questions are being posed about the deceitful DSC. Thousands of police have been deployed around us with barricades, giving an impression that we are captives,” said Sharmila in a post on ‘X.’ Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada before setting off to the Secretariat, she noted that police have been on high alert for the past two days to restrict Congress leaders and activists ahead of proposed protest walk.

“What is our mistake? What is our sin? Are we thieves or bandits? What is the need for the government to restrict us? If you (YSRCP government) have really performed well then why are you fearing a protest from us?” asked Sharmila, who slept overnight in Andhra Ratna Bhavan to avert police restrictions and lead ‘chalo secretariat’.

She demanded a mega DSC notification with 30,000 teacher jobs and also a job calendar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The YSR Telangana Party will contest all 119 seats in next month’s Assembly election, YS Sharmila said Thursday, putting an end to speculation her outfit will ally with the Congress to consolidate votes against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi. She said she had waited four months for that deal. “Now no one can blame us for splitting the anti-KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao) vote. We tried our best,” she said, adding she will contest from Palair and maybe a second location too.

Ms Sharmila, who is also Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister, also said there were demand for her mother YS Vijayalakshmi and husband Anil Kumar to contest. “If needed they will also contest. My mother has said she will do whatever (is) needed to support me. She made that promise when I launched my party… that she will stand by me,” she said.

Telangana will vote on November 30 and results will declared on December 3.

READ | 5 States To Vote From November 7 To 30, Results On December 3

Two weeks ago she had said a “final decision” on any alliance with the Congress will be taken by end-September. “If no alliance fructifies, the party will contest all 119 constituencies,” the party said.

YS Sharmila met Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi last month, after which she claimed “constructive discussions” and warned KCR to expect defeat.

READ | Amid Speculation Of Merger With Congress, YS Sharmila Meets Sonia Gandhi

But Telangana Congress boss Revanth Reddy later told NDTV there was no question of her allying with the national party.

Reports suggested the Congress wanted the YSRTP leader to work with her brother to revive the national party in Andhra Pradesh, which will hold an Assembly election next year.

YS Sharmila ruled that out and her brother has distanced himself from her political activities.

The daughter of a former Congress chief minister, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Ms Sharmila started the YSRTP in 2021 to bring the YSR family, or ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ to the state – in which both she and her party are electorally untested. As part of her efforts, she went on a 3,800-km state-wide march.

“All my efforts are for Telangana. I am doing everything to improve the condition of the people… so they benefit from the formation of Telangana,” she said after the Delhi trip.

Hyderabad:

Ahead of the Telangana election all eyes are on the Congress as it bids to consolidate votes against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi by reaching out to opposition leader YS Sharmila. The YSR Telangana party leader met the Congress’ Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi but she has since then neither confirmed nor denied speculation of a merger. 

Also, despite repeatedly saying her focus is on Telangana, there is buzz that Ms Sharmila – who is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister – may cross family lines next year, when her brother’s state votes.

“Met Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi… constructive discussions took place. The daughter of YS Rajasekhar Reddy will work relentlessly towards benefitting the people of Telangana,” she told reporters after talks with the Congress leaders, declaring, “I can say one thing… countdown for KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) has begun.”

Ms Sharmila stressed her “one-point agenda is to end KCR’s rule in Telangana”.

READ | Amid Speculation Of Merger With Congress, YS Sharmila Meets Sonia Gandhi

The daughter of a former Congress chief minister, YS Rajasekhar Reddy, Ms Sharmila started the YSRTP in July 2021 with a promise to bring the YSR family, or ‘”Rajanna Rajyam” to the state – one in which both she and her party are electorally untested. As part of efforts to fulfill that vow, she went on a 3,800-km march through Telangana to target the ruling party.

“All my efforts are for Telangana. I am doing everything to improve the condition of the people.. so they benefit from the formation of Telangana,” she said after the Delhi trip.

“No Idea”, Says YSRTP

Interestingly, when contacted, YSRTP spokesperson Konda Raghava Reddy said the party’s senior leaders were unaware of Ms Sharmila meeting the Gandhi family in Delhi.

The YSRTP boss has, in the recent past, met other Congress leaders, including now-Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and General Secretary KC Venugopal. The talk then was around securing a Rajya Sabha seat or help in taking on her brother in Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Reddy has distanced himself from his sister’s political activities. After his father’s death he had broken away from the Congress to launch the YSR Congress Party in September 2009 and he did not attend his sister’s party’s launch.

READ | Jagan Reddy’s Sister Launches Party In Telangana, He Stays Away

How Would YSRTP + Congress Work?

If Ms Sharmila does, in fact, merge with the Congress, it could help consolidate anti-BRS votes in pockets where she has emotional appeal, especially among YSR loyalists. She may want to contest from Palair in Khammam, where the Congress has some influence but may need to a profile boost. Alternatively, she may also run from Secunderabad.

Hyderabad:

Amid speculation that she would merge her party YSRTP with the Congress, Y S Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Thursday met top AICC leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the national capital.

Speculation about Ms Sharmila growing closer to the Congress has been doing the rounds for quite some time after she met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Bengaluru in May to congratulate him on the victory of the party in the neighbouring state.

“Met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Constructive discussions took place. The daughter of Y S Rajasekhar Reddy would relentlessly work towards benefiting Telangana people. I can say one thing, the countdown for KCR began (hinting at Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s defeat in the upcoming Assembly polls),” she told reporters after the meeting in New Delhi without elaborating further.

When contacted, YSR Telangana Congress Party’s spokesperson Konda Raghava Reddy said none of the leaders or cadre of YSRTP are aware of her Delhi trip and meeting with the Gandhi family.

Sharmila had earlier categorically said that she would contest from Palair Assembly constituency in poll-bound Telangana.

She vigorously campaigned for her sibling Jagan Mohan Reddy during the 2019 Assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh and later floated her own party YSRTP in Telangana.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)