Y S Sharmila joined the Congress in Delhi on Thursday. She went to the AICC headquarters and joined the party. She also merged her YSRTP in the Congress.

AICC president Mallikharjuna Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi welcomed her into the party. They gave her the party towel and received her in the party office. Sharmila’s husband and evangelist Brother Anil Kumar was also present on the occasion.

There is speculation that Sharmila would be made the APCC president and would be given the responsibility to lead the party for the 2024 general elections to the state Assembly. However, the party is likely to name her as the AICC general secretary and would be given some state, besides taking care of the party in the two Telugu states.

There is also a speculation that Sharmila would be given Rajya Sabha membership from Karnataka. She has strong connections in the Congress Party in Karnataka. Deputy chief minister D K Shiva Kumar is closely associated to the YSR family, and it was he who lobbied with her to join the Congress.

Sharmila started her YSRTP on July 8, 2021. She undertook a historic padayatra in Telangana and chose not to contest the Assembly elections. She supported the Congress in the just-concluded Assembly elections and played a key role in the victory of the party.

Later, speaking to the media, Sharmila said that she was happy to join the Congress, which she said was the only secular national party in the country. She said that she was pained at the demolition of 2000 churches in Manipur. This happened because there was no secular party in the government at the Centre, she said.

Sharmila said that her late father, Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy wanted to see Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Minister of the country. She had come to the Congress now only to realise his dream. She expressed confidence that the Congress would win the coming general elections to the Parliament and Rahul would become the Prime Minister.