YS Sharmila, chief of the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) and the daughter of former united Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, held a key meeting with Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, on Thursday, on August 31, amid rumors about a possible alliance with the Congress party.
Sharmila met Sonia Gandhi at her residence at 10 Janpath on Thursday morning and had a private conversation for about 30 minutes. This development follows months of ongoing rumors suggesting that Sharmila, also the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is now exploring the possibility of merging her party with the Congress.
"Very constructive discussion was held with Sonia Gandhi ji," Sharmila said in a statement to the media following their conversation. “I will always make choices that will benefit Telangana as the daughter of YS Rajasekhar Reddy. All I want to say is that the KCR countdown has begun,” she added.
However, the Congress party has remained discreet about Sharmila's plans to either join the Congress or merge her party with the grand old party.
Sharmila's YSRTP was established in 2021 in Telangana. There are speculations indicating that Sharmila's relationship with her brother and YSR Congress Party leader, Jagan Mohan Reddy, might be strained with her decisions.
Aiming to topple the Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which is led by K Chandrashekar Rao and is currently in power in Telangana, the Congress party is actively preparing for the upcoming intense campaign in 119 assembly elections.