Will Sharmila be a hurdle for Jagan’s return to power?

What will happen in Andhra Pradesh’s politics, given the grand entry of YS Sharmila into the Congress? If, as is widely believed, it is a strategic move of the grand old party aimed at weakening Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, will there a tussle between the siblings at the hustings in 2024.
Founder member of YSRCP, Sharmila has worked shoulder to shoulder with her brother and party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who had come out of the Congress party to form YSRCP ostensibly for not being permitted to take out his odarpu yatra (for consoling those who had reportedly died of shock due to the sudden death of YSR in September 2009). People who joined his outfit and others knew that he had parted ways with the Congress peeved at not being made successor to YSR, though he had waited for almost a year hoping that K. Rosaiah, who succeeded YSR, would only keep the seat warm for him. However, when the party named N. Kiran Kumar Reddy as Rosaiah’s successor, it was the last straw for Jagan, since he too had the requisite qualification of being a member of the Reddy community. Sharmila was an essential part of his political journey, having taken up 3,000 plus km padayatra when Jagan was incarcerated and had to spend 16 months in jail in connection with the DA cases filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.
Subsequently, issues concerning sharing the assets of YSR’s family apparently caused a rift between the siblings. Besides, Sharmila felt the pangs of not getting her due despite her significant contribution to the transformation of YSRCP into a ruling party. After matters came to a head, she shifted her focus to Telangana politics by launching YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP).
Now, upon YSRTP’s merged with the Congress, she has been asked to work for promoting the interests of the grand old party in Andhra Pradesh. She is believed to have been told by party big wigs to work for unseating Jaganmohan Reddy. The Congress, marginalized by YSRCP, could not get even a single seat in the AP Legislative Assembly. So, the Congress is trying to revitalise itself by bringing former chief minister YSR’s daughter Sharmila into its fold.
In AP, there could be a political realignment ahead of the General Election. Principal opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has already struck a poll pact with the Jana Sena Party headed by film star Pawan  Kalyan. Pawan’s friendly party Bharatiya Janata Party is also being influenced by him to become a part of the alliance of opposition (TDP, JSP & BJP).  But BJP is yet to take a call on this crucial issue, perhaps because it is open to sailing with YSRCP for ultimately having more heft in Parliament. Already, the NDA government has been enjoying solid support of YSRCP for passage of key bills.
Sharmila may be given the post of PCC chief in AP. She is now planning to group her father’s followers across the state who are not in Jagan’s camp. Jagan had kept at a distance those who used to be in the inner ring of YSR’s aides. In the present AP set-up, only Ministers Botsa Satyanarayana and Dharmana Prasada Rao had served as members of the YSR cabinet in undivided AP.  Sharmila once described herself as “a piercing arrow from her brother Jagan’s bow”. Now the arrow seems to be moving in the direction of her brother due to political compulsions coupled with family issues for which she has been waiting to settle scores.
Sharmila’s husband and popular evangelist Brother Anil Kumar played a crucial role in bringing Jagan to power in 2019 by influencing the Christian community across the state. In return, the Jagan government offered Rs. 5,000 to every registered pastor in the state. If they switch to Sharmila, it may be a big blow to Jagan. Doubling the dole to them may not be of much help to Jagan.
Now, the Congress is trying to impress Andhra people by its promises of Special Category Status, reversal of the privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, and a separate Railway Zone. The Congress wants to forcibly bring Jaganmohan Reddy into its fold for boosting its prospects after the upcoming General Election.
So, the Congress leadership has brought Sharmila onto AP’s political screen with a long-term strategy. The YSRCP cannot wish away the potential damage that Sharmila can do to its interest in AP politics. Sharmila, on her part, will command credibility only if she starts working sincerely for the defeat of her own brother.
Otherwise, people will see the whole thing as the political variant of match fixing!