YSRTP merger talks: Congress offers Khammam Lok Sabha seat, general secretary post to Sharmila
Sharmila is facing resistance from Congress leaders in Telangana who fear that the merge could jeopardize the party's prospects in the upcoming elections.
- Telangana
NewsTAP Bureau- Updated On:2 Oct 2023 10:27 PM IST
HYDERABAD: With Telangana elections looming and her merger proposal with the Congress still in the works, YS Sharmila has apparently received an offer from the Congress high command to accept a post in the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and contest from the Khammam Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming Parliament elections, scheduled for 2024.
Sharmila had set a strict deadline of September 30, 2023 for the merger but the deadline passed and there is no clear indication of the nitty-gritties.
According to sources, Congress has offered Sharmila a ticket for the Parliament elections from Khammam. She had previously made her intent public about contesting for an MLA seat from Palair which was also a bastion for her father and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
However, with BRS leader Thummala Nageswara Rao shifting loyalties to the grand old party, it seems like the Congress is more likely to offer him a ticket from Palair.
As an appeasement measure, the Congress has now offered a Lok Sabha seat from Khammam instead along with the post of general secretary, equivalent to Priyanka Gandhi in the party.
Over the last couple of months, Sharmila had continued to work ardently to convince the Congress high command of the merger's significance, but she is facing resistance from Congress leaders in Telangana who fear that the merge could jeopardize the party's prospects in the upcoming elections.
Sharmila has reportedly requested 15 MLA seats for her party in the upcoming elections, despite having never contested an election herself. This proposal had been dismissed by the Congress, and Sharmila is now exploring other ideas. While the Congress had also nurtured the idea of her playing a bigger role in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh where her brother YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is the Chief Minister, Sharmila had been reluctant to take up that role.
According to sources, ff the Congress did not agree to Sharmila's merger proposal, she is considering not contesting in the Telangana elections and instead appeal to public to vote as per their conscience.
