YS Sharmila all set for political entry in Telangana?

 HYDERABAD:  Is Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister YS Sharmila planning to launch a regional party in Telangana? Or is she getting ready to resuscitate the YSR Congress Party in the State? As soon as Sharmila sent out word that she was interested in having a meeting with leaders from Nalgonda on Tuesday at their Lotus Pond residence in the city, the political scuttlebutt spread fast and wide that she was going to make a splash in politics in Telangana.

Apart from Sharmila, brother Anil Kumar and mother YS Vijayamma too are expected to attend the meeting, sources said. The first meeting is to be held at 10 am with leaders from erstwhile Nalgonda district. The meeting has been termed as ‘Aatmeeya Sammelanam’ (friendly get-together) with the followers of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy.

Incidentally, the meeting marks what would have been the late YSR’s 50th marriage anniversary. Though there were rumours that Sharmila’s relations with her brother and AP Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy were strained, Sharmila swiftly dismissed them. The plans of launching a party were not due to disputes within YSR family, sources said.

Taking to the Twitter platform on January 25, she, however, did not deny the reports of launching a political outfit. When contacted, YSRCP Telangana president Gattu Srikanth confirmed that Sharmila was holding a meeting. He, however, did not elaborate on it. “Come to the meeting on Tuesday. You will get clarity,” Srikanth said, adding that he cannot hazard a guess as to what the agenda for the meeting will be.

Many still fond of YSR

Voters in some sections of Telangana are still very fond of YS Rajasekhara Reddy and his welfare schemes