Congress on Tuesday (January 16) appointed YS Sharmila, sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, as party President of the state unit. This move came a day after Gidugu Rudra Raju resigned from Andhra Pradesh's President post.
"Congress president has appointed Y S Sharmila Reddy as the president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee with immediate effect," an official announcement by the party said.
Congress appoints Gidugu Rudra Raju as special invitee to Working Committee
Congress in a statement also announced the appointment of outgoing PCC President Raju as the special invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
Recently, Sharmila merged her YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) with the Congress in Delhi in the presence of Rahul Gandhi and emerged as a newly-minted frontline Congress leader of Andhra Pradesh.
According to a news agency PTI source, Rudra Raju sensed that the Congress is leaning towards appointing Sharmila as the Andhra Pradesh Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and pitting her against her older brother, YSRCP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Sharmila joins Congress
Sharmila, the founder of YSR Telangana Party, had also announced the merger of her party with the Congress and said she would fulfil any responsibility given to her.
Lauding the Congress, she said it is the largest and "most secular" party in the country as it unwaveringly serves all communities and unites all sections of people.
"Today, I am very happy to be merging the YSR Telangana party into the Congress Party. It gives me immense joy that the YSR Telangana party is going to be a part of the Indian National Congress from today onwards. That YSR Telangana party is not going to be separate any more from the Congress party gives me great delight," she had said after joining the Congress.
Sharmila is the daughter of the former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and the younger sister of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Also Read: Andhra Congress chief Gidugu Rudra Raju resigns, YS Sharmila likely to take over: Sources
Also Read: Telangana polls: YS Sharmila rules out alliance with Congress, YSRTP to contest alone
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