YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was on Saturday, July 9, elected president for lifetime of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP). The process was completed on the concluding day of the YSRCP's two-day plenary after the party constitution has been amended to enable Jagan's election as president for a lifetime. Jagan established the YSRCP in March 2011 after quitting Congress. Ever since, he has been continuing as the party president, with his mother Vijayamma as honorary president.
Jagan was last elected the YSRCP president at the party plenary in 2017. Vijayamma resigned from the honorary president's post on Friday, reportedly due to an ongoing rift in the family. She said she was quitting the YSRCP to stand by her daughter Sharmila, who is now heading the YSR Telangana party in the neighbouring state. The YSRC will now have to seek the Election Commission of India's nod to let Jagan be the party chief for life.
The YSRCP cites some precedents wherein certain regional parties in other states secured the ECI's approval to have a president for a lifetime without the need to conduct elections every two years.
The party has also decided to stick to its abbreviated name henceforth, shedding the full form of Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress. Article 1 of the party constitution was amended at its plenary to give effect to the name change. When it was established in March 2011, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress was the name given to the party, with the initials YSR matching those of late Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh YS Rajasekhara Reddy, father of current Chief Minister Jagan.
It was never called by its full name and was known only as YSRCP. Now, the party constitution has been amended, formalising the abbreviated name. As per the amendment, the party could be recognised as YSR Congress or YSRCP.