YS Sharmila is new Andhra Pradesh Congress chief

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has appointed YS Sharmila as the president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Monday, January 16. The appointment comes a day after Congress leader Gidugu Rudra Raju resigned as president of the APCC on January 15. 

YS Sharmila, sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, will be heading the Congress party in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections scheduled for April-May 2024. She was felicitated by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders in New Delhi. 

A statement issued by Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said that outgoing APCC president Rudra Raju will be a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) 

TNM had earlier reported that although many Andhra Congress leaders wanted Sharmila to take up the post, she was reluctant to accept it and contest from Andhra in the 2024 elections, preferring a Rajya Sabha nomination instead. Sharmila was concerned about working for Congress in Andhra as it would pit her directly against CM Jagan. 

However, the Congress has since managed to convince Sharmila to take the position of APCC chief. A source in the family expressed concern that this could cause a serious rift within the family. 

Sharmila merged her YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) with the Congress and joined the party on January 4. A day before this development, CM Jagan said at a public meeting that ahead of Assembly elections that certain opposition party alliances would try to break apart families, make false promises and pave the way for deceit.