Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister Y.S. Sharmila will be launching her political party in Telangana next month.
Named ‘YSR Telangana Party’, it will be launched on July 8, the birth anniversary of her father and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
Party coordinator Vaduka Rajagopal said on Monday that the process for registration of YSR Telangana Party with the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been completed.
Rajagopal filed an application with the ECI seeking its registration. The poll panel had issued a notification, seeking objections if any to the registration of YSR Telangana Party.
Y.S. Vijayalakshmi, honorary president of the YSR Congress Party, informed the Commission that she has no objection to registration of YSR Telangana Party.
Vijayalakshmi was present when her daughter Sharmila announced at a public meeting at Khammam on April 9 that she will be launching a new political party in Telangana.
While Jagan Mohan Reddy is said to be opposed to his sister floating a new party, Vijayalakshmi had appealed to people of Telangana to bless Sharmila with their support.
Rajagopal said after receiving the letter from ECI about recognition of YSR Telangana Party, they would announce more details about the party.
He said Sharmila was launching the new party to bring back the welfare rule of her late father YSR and to carry forward his ideals.
Sharmila will be unveiling the name, flag and agenda of the new party on July 8.
Addressing the meeting at Khammam, she vowed to bring back ‘Rajanna Rajyam’ in Telangana.
‘Rajanna Rajyam’ is referred to the rule of YSR when several welfare and pro-poor schemes were implemented.
YSR was the chief minister of combined Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.
YSR’s daughter had said she was launching the party to question those in power and to fulfill the aspirations of Telangana movement and for self-respect of Telangana.
Sharmila has been holding meetings since March with YSR loyalists from various districts in Telangana to take their feedback before announcing her political plans.
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) led by Jagan Mohan Reddy has already admitted that there is difference of opinion between the brother and sister over the latter’s political ambitions in Telangana.
YSRCP had won one MP and three MLA seats in the old undivided Khammam district in the maiden Assembly elections in Telangana in 2014.
However, YSRCP became inactive in Telangana after its MP and all three MLAs joined ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Jagan Mohan Reddy, who led YSRCP to power in Andhra Pradesh in 2019, decided to stay away from Telangana politics. His party did not contest 2018 Assembly elections and subsequent polls in Telangana.