New Delhi: With its allies in the INDIA bloc deserting the Congress, dealing a significant blow to Opposition unity ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the grand old party took a strategic step on Sunday by establishing a 20-member election committee focused on the Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled for this year.
YS Sharmila Reddy, the daughter of former chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy and sister of his successor Jaganmohan Reddy, was appointed as the chairperson of the panel. Sharmila assumed the role of the Congress's state president after resigning from the ruling YSRCP and joining the grand old party.
Sharmila officially joined the Congress on January 4 at the party's headquarters in Delhi, in the presence of national president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi.
In a parallel development, SN Raja was named as the additional general secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee.
In an official statement issued on Sunday, the party conveyed, "Congress President (Mallikarjun Kharge) has approved the proposal for the constitution of the Pradesh Election Committee and the appointment of an additional General Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee, as enclosed, with immediate effect."
In addition to Sharmila Reddy, the members of the panel include N Raghuveera Reddy, T Subbarami Reddy, M M Pallam Raju, K Raju, KVP Ramachandra Rao, G Rudra Raju, S Sailajanath, Chinta Mohan, JD Seelam, K Bapi Raju, N Tulasi Reddy, Shaik Mastan Vali, Padmasree Sunkara, Janga Gowtham, Rakesh Reddy, Sirivella Prasad, Usha Naidu, Surya Naik, and Srinivasa Reddy.
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