Continuing the political legacy of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, APCC chief YS Sharmila has announced that her son YS Raja Reddy will also enter the political arena. This announcement is likely to have a great impact on the YSRCP party in particular. As YS Jaganmohan Reddy have no sons, Sharmila is said to be intended to project her son as an political hair of her father YSR
Sharmila, who left Hyderabad to visit onion farmers in Kurnool, took her son Raja Reddy with her. Speaking on the occasion, she said that her son Raja Reddy will enter politics when necessary. This is Raja Reddy’s first political trip. Sharmila’s close friends say that before leaving home, he bowed to the feet of his grandmother YS Vijayamma and took blessings. This seems to be a sign of his political entry.
Analysts believe that Sharmila is strategizing to pass on the political legacy of YS Rajasekhara Reddy to her son. Generally, there is a perception that inheritance goes to men in the politics of Telugu states. Since YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has no sons and only two daughters, Sharmila seems to think that YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s political inheritance will go to her son.
That is why she has started efforts to prepare her son Raja Reddy in that direction. It remains to be seen to what extent Sharmila’s efforts will bear fruit and how Raja Reddy will stand in Andhra Pradesh politics. Sharmila’s supporters are planning to introduce Raja Reddy, who has completed his higher education abroad, into AP politics.
It is also reported that Sharmila is making moves to create a strong social base for her political prominence. While her father’s legacy likely helps to attract a section of Reddy community, she is said to be confident to attract both Branhmins and Christians support from her husband’s legacy by projecting son Raja Reddy. Moreover, there are whispers that the Congress high command has also given Sharmila a green signal in this regard.
Even if the Congress party does not win a single seat in the 2024 elections, Sharmila’s supporters say that they have a role in Jaganmohan Reddy’s defeat. In this context, Raja Reddy’s arrival can be seen as a key factor in strengthening their party.