YS Sharmila joins Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls 2024

New Delhi: Y S Sharmila, the founder of YSR Telangana Party, joined the Congress on Thursday. Sharmila arrived in the capital on Wednesday night, setting the stage for a potentially significant political development.

The Congress had earlier teased a major announcement, stating that a "very eminent personality" will officially join the party at 10:30 AM on Thursday at the AICC headquarters in Delhi.

Sharmila's association with the Congress 

Upon her arrival at the Delhi airport, Sharmila confirmed her likely association with the Congress on January 4, stating, "Yes, looks like it." However, the role she would assume within the party remains uncertain, with Sharmila remarking, "We will know tomorrow."

Earlier in Hyderabad, after chairing a party meeting on Tuesday, Sharmila had disclosed plans to meet the top leadership of the Congress, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, to make what she termed a "crucial" announcement in Delhi.

Y S Sharmila, the daughter of the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, former chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, and the younger sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, had previously declared her support for the Congress during the recent assembly polls in Telangana. 

The potential merger of YSR Telangana Party with the Congress raises speculation about the role Sharmila might play at the national level within the party.