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YSRTP leader YS Sharmila Reddy has been striving her best to make a splash on Telangana’s political scene over the last few months. Although her entry into active politics of Telangana was hyped, the aura fizzled out as no major parties took it seriously. There was already the ‘outsider’ tag to Sharmila which is a sensitive sentiment in Telangana region.

Precisely this factor propelled TRS back to power in 2018 elections, with Chandrababu Naidu not being accepted by Telangana’s electorate. Now, the recent arrest and the sensational events related to Sharmila when she wanted to reach Pragathi Bhavan has made headlines all over.

Political analysts feel this may be her most awaited moment of reckoning to gain the support of masses and also a sympathy wave as a lone woman and daughter of late YSR. At a time when the talk of a tough triangular contest between TRS, Congress and BJP are on the cards for next elections, the arrest of Sharmila has clearly upped the ante in the region.

The incident has upped the stakes. There is an inside talk in TRS circles that the incident could have been handled better and it resulted in unwanted mileage for YSRTP. Although the party by itself cannot pose a significant challenge, any surge in popularity might dent the vote bank of TRS, particularly among Reddys and Christians. Reddys are now a major vote bank in the region with the BJP, Congress
and TRS all vying up for a significant chunk of their votes. Traditionally aligned with Congress, Reddys have supported TRS steadfastly after the state formation and now even BJP is targeting their votes.

Although Sharmila is viewed by TRS as being propped by BJP against the pink party, the boost in her popularity cannot be taken with a pinch of salt anymore. TRS insiders feel the party should fine tune its strategies and embark on a mass contact programme to truly capture the hearts and minds of the people if it wants to come back to power for a third consecutive term.

Moreover, one cannot underestimate the resolve of Sharmila, who wants to settle scores with her brother and AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. She has been unrelenting despite appeals from her brother’s rivals that she should fight in AP, to really win against her brother. But for now, Sharmila is bent on making her presence in Telangana and it is definitely a wake-up call for the ruling party here.


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