Undivided Andhra's ex-CM Rajasekhara Reddy's daughter Sharmila meets Sonia

New Delhi, Aug 31: After days of rumours of joining hands with the Congress, Y.S. Sharmila, the daughter of former united Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Thursday met Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi here.

Sharmila arrived at the residence of Sonia Gandhi, 10 Janpath here on Thursday morning and directly went inside to hold talks with her.

She left Sonia Gandhi's residence 30 minutes later after the meeting. 

The development comes after months of rumours that Sharmila, who is also the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, and heads the YSR Telangana Party, which she formed in July 2021, seeks to merge it with the Congress.

However, the Congress has remained tight-lipped on the development related to Sharmila’s plan of joining Congress or merging her party with the grand old party.

Sharmila’s party has a presence in the state of Telangana, where the Assembly elections are scheduled later this year. It is also said that Sharmila is not on good terms with her brother and YSR Congress Party leader Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The Congress has been gearing up for the high octane election for the 119-member Assembly in Telangana later this year where it plans to dethrone the ruling K. Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

The Congress is leaving no stone unturned in the southern state to ensure victory where it has been unable to form a government after the formation of Telangana in 2014.