YS Sharmila Reddy is an Indian politician, president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee.
She is the daughter of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, the 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and the sister of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
She is also the founder of the YSR Party Telangana, which she merged with the Congress Party in 2024. She is known for her political activism and road walks to highlight people’s issues.
She is one of the prominent faces of the Congress party in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
File
- Full Name: Yeduguri Sandinti Sharmila Reddy
- Date of birth: December 17, 1973
- Age: 51 years
- Gender: Female
- Place of birth: Pulivendula, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh
- Nationality: Indian
- Occupation: Politician
- Height: 173 cm (5’8″)
- Parents: YS Rajasekhara Reddy (father) and YS Vijayamma (mother)
- Siblings: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (brother)
- Spouse: Anil Kumar
- Children: Raja and Anjali Reddy
- Relationship status: Married
- Net worth: $10 million
Early life and education
YS Sharmila was born on 17 December 1973 in Pulivendula, a town in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh.
She is the second child and only daughter of YS Rajasekhara Reddy and YS Vijayamma. Her father is a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress Party and served as the Chief Minister of the Government of Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.
Her mother is also a politician and a former member of the Lok Sabha. Her brother, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is the founder and president of the YSR Congress Party and the current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Sharmila grew up in a political family and was exposed to public life from a young age. She completed her schooling from Hyderabad Public School and then graduated from St. Mary’s College, Hyderabad.
Personal life
YS Sharmila married Anil Kumar, a businessman and Christian missionary, in 1996. The couple has two children: a son named Raja and a daughter named Anjali.
Sharmila converted to Christianity after marriage and is actively involved in her husband’s ministry. She is also a fitness enthusiast and regularly practices yoga and meditation.
Career
YS Sharmila entered politics in 2012 when her brother, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of corruption and disproportionate assets.
She is responsible for campaigning for the YSR Congress Party, founded by her brother in 2011, along with her mother, YS Vijayamma.
She works as the party’s national convener and has addressed many public meetings and rallies across Andhra Pradesh.
She also undertook a 3,000 km fundraising walk named ‘Maro Praja Prasthanam’ (Another People’s Walk) from October 2012 to August 2013 to highlight the welfare programmes and achievements of her father’s government and expose the failures and corruption of the then ruling Congress party and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
During her fundraising walk, she passed through 14 districts and 141 constituencies and received an enthusiastic response from the people.
She also participated in another 11-day bus tour, named ‘Praja Theerpu – Bye Bye Babu’ (People’s Verdict – Bye Bye Babu), in 2019 to campaign against then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his TDP government.
In 2021, YS Sharmila announced that she would form a new political party in Telangana as she felt that the YSR Congress Party was not present in the state and there was a need for an alternative party to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
She also stated that she had political disagreements with her brother, who was focused on Andhra Pradesh.
She said she wanted to carry forward the legacy of her father, who was popular in Telangana for his pro-people policies and programmes. She founded the YSR Telangana Party on July 8, 2021, her father’s birth anniversary.
She also started a padayatra named ‘Praja Prasthanam’ (People’s Journey) in October 2022 to interact with Telangana and raise their issues.
However, her party failed to make an impact in the Telangana Assembly elections held in November 2023 and did not win any seats.
In January 2024, YS Sharmila joined the Indian National Congress, her father’s party, and merged her YSR Telangana Party into it.
She said it was her father’s dream to see Rahul Gandhi become the Prime Minister of India and she would work hard to realise that dream. She also said the Congress Party is the largest secular party in the country and has built the foundation of the nation.
She was appointed president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, with the aim of reviving the party’s fortunes in the state and reclaiming her father’s legacy.
She is expected to lead the party’s campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh and challenge her brother’s YSR Congress Party.
Death
YS Sharmila is still alive and well as of 2024. She has not faced any serious health problems or accidents in her life.
However, her political opponents and opponents have faced threats and attacks. In November 2022, she was allegedly attacked by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party workers during her padayatra in Warangal district.
She was also arrested by the police for protesting against the BRS government. She also filed a complaint with the social media IT wing of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) for spreading rumours about her having an illicit relationship with actor Prabhas.
Argumentative
YS Sharmila has been involved in several political controversies during her political career. Some of them are:
In 2019, she filed a complaint with Hyderabad Municipal Commissioner CP Anjani Kumar against the social media IT arm of Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
She complained that the TDP’s IT department was spreading false rumours about her illicit relationship with Bahubali fame actor Prabhas.
She said they spread the rumor before the 2014 election and stopped after the election but continued spreading it in 2019.
She denied having any relationship with Prabhas and said it was a malicious campaign to defame her and her family.
In 2021, she announced the formation of a new political party in Telangana. This surprised many, as her brother, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, is the Chief Minister of the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the president of the YSR Congress Party.
She said she had political differences with her brother and the YSR Congress had no presence in Telangana.
She also said she wanted to carry forward the legacy of her father, who was very popular among the people of Telangana for his people-friendly policies and schemes.
She faced criticism and opposition from the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and its supporters, who accused her of trying to divide the people of Telangana and having no interest or contribution to the state’s development.
In 2024, she joined the Indian National Congress, her father’s party, and merged her YSR Telangana Party into it.
She said her father’s dream was to see Rahul Gandhi become the Prime Minister of India and she would work hard to fulfil that dream.
She also said the Congress Party is the country’s largest secular party and has built the foundation for the nation.
She was appointed president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, with the aim of reviving the party’s fortunes in the state and reclaiming her father’s legacy.
She faced backlash and resentment from some current Congress party leaders and workers in Andhra Pradesh, who considered her an outsider and a paratrooper leader.
They also questioned her loyalty and credibility, as she left the Congress party in 2011 and formed a rival party in Telangana in 2021.
Social media
- Twitter: @ys_sharmila
- Instagram: @ys_sharmila_official
Net worth
According to some sources, YS Sharmila has an estimated net worth of $10 million.
She inherited some of her father’s assets, including land, buildings, stocks and bank deposits.
