Hyderabad: While many fans and leaders of the YSR Congress might want Sharmila Reddy and Y.S. Vijayalakshmi to contest in the upcoming polls, party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided that only he will contest from the former chief minister’s immediate family.
Fans were especially hoping that Sharmila Reddy, who had created a record by walking about 3,000 km, crisscrossing the state, would be fielded as a Lok Sabha candidate from Visakhapatnam.
Vijayalakshmi is serving her second term as MLA, representing the Pulivendula seat that was held by her late husband. “It would not be nice if all of us contest in the elections. So it has been decided that only one member of our family will contest and the rest will only campaign,” Reddy reportedly informed his mother and sister.
It was in fact the mother-sister team that had taken up the mass campaign for the party in the bypolls in the absence of Reddy who was then in Chanchalguda prison.
“Neither me nor Sharmila is interested or has ambitions in politics. We have been telling this to everyone. Earlier too, we had said that it was our mission to see Jagan in the CM’s chair, that is all I can say,” Vijayalakshmi said, on the sidelines of the Assembly session on Monday. Sharmila Reddy was not available for comment.
Vijayamma, Sharmila happy to campaign
After Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was released on bail last October, Sharmila Reddy has confined herself to Bengaluru, looking after her children. Reddy’s uncle, Y.V. Subba Reddy, said, “I think both Vijayamma and Sharmila are not interested in contesting. It is a fact that only one member of a family sho-uld contest, otherwise it will generate unnecessary controversy that it is all a family affair; Jagan Mohan Reddy does not want that impression for the party.”
Interestingly, Subba Reddy who wants to contest from the Ongole Lok Sabha constituency, has been told by Reddy not to do so. However, the YSRC chief’s cousin, Avinash Reddy, is tipped for the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat and uncle, Ravindranath Reddy, for the Kamalapuram Assembly seat.
“There is no resentment either from Vijayamma or Sharmila about contesting; both are not interested and are happy to campaign whenever they are asked by Jagan. The family relations and bonding is intact,” Subba Reddy said.
