APCC chief YS Sharmila, who failed to give life for Congress party in the state even after amazing support from the party high-command in recent elections, after keeping silent for two weeks, is now making her presence felt.
Mainly after speculations that her brother and YCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru seeking truce with the Congress leadership, she said to be alerted.
Though DK Shivakumar himself denied of meeting Jaganmohan Reddy, according to speculations the latter is insisting that her sister should be removed from the Congress leadership to obtain his help in revival of the party in Andhra Pradesh.
His CBI and ED cases forced him to extend unconditional support to Narendra Modi government, even his hard-core political opponent and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu’s support emerged as key to the central government. However, he is said to be offering ‘tactical support’ to Congress so as to weaken the Modi government at crucial junctures.
On the other hand, Congress high-command also said to be disappointed with Sharmila’s performance in recent polls. She had faced severe criticism from her own party leaders on distribution of party seats.
Though she claimed that she contested from Kadapa Lok Sabha only to defeat her cousin YS Avinash Reddy, believed to be key accused in her uncle Dr Vivekananda Reddy, results revealed that her presence in the fry only helped him to win the seat.
Fearing that this may force Congress leadership to fall in the trap of her brother YS Jagan, in a strategic move she is organising her father YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s 75th birth anniversary on July 8th in Vijayawada, as a show of strength. First she invited Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and other leaders in Hyderabad.
Later, she met Congress top leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in New Delhi. Finally, she met DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru. Through these meetings, she is expecting to give a message that the entire Congress party leadership is backing her. Moreover, she wants to assert herself with the capabilities of emerging as the `real political successor’ of her father.