In both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, two high-profile female politicians are fighting hard to cement their place in the political arena. While K. Kavitha, the daughter of former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, has grabbed headlines in Telangana thanks to a “leaked” letter, Y.S. Sharmila, the daughter of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has been publicly attacking her brother in A.P.
Recently, a letter by Ms. Kavitha to her father was “leaked” to the public. In the letter, which she acknowledged as genuine, Ms. Kavitha laid bare the simmering differences in the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) founded by Mr. Rao. She accused her father of having been soft on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during his speech at the BRS’s silver jubilee plenary. She said that his two minutes of criticism of the BJP had created an impression among the cadre that the BRS may ally with the BJP.
At the centre of this outburst is perhaps a question of legacy. Ms. Kavitha’s brother, K.T. Rama Rao, the president of the BRS, is being touted as the next head of the party. But Ms. Kavita, a former MP who is a member of the Telangana Legislative Council, has found ways of drawing attention to her leadership abilities and to questions of social justice. She has been championing the cause of Backward Classes and women, meeting, the party cadre and touring the State extensively.
Her letter prompted Mr. K.T. Rama Rao to meet his father at his farm house in Erravelli in Siddipet district and discuss the potential political fallout. Mr. Rao sought to dismiss the letter as well the possible rebellion by his daughter. However, it became clear that the BRS was worried when it sent Rajya Sabha member, Damodar Rao, to hold peace talks with Ms. Kavitha. The beleaguered party, which was defeated in the 2023 Assembly elections and drew a blank in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, is afraid that any decision she takes could spell further trouble for it.
Ms. Kavitha has had no role in bringing the BRS (earlier called the Telangana Rashtra Samithi) to power, though the Telangana Jagruthi, a cultural wing of the BRS that she heads, did play a key role in bringing about a cultural awakening in the State through the Bathukamma celebrations. Though Mr. Kavitha has said that she will work under her father’s leadership, her charge that there are converts in the BRS has triggered yet another round of whispers. The party is said to be closely monitoring her move.
In A.P., political observers have cited many reasons for former Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s defeat in the 2024 general elections and Assembly elections, but the key factor was said to be his rivalry with his sister, who is the Pradesh Congress Committee president.
Mr. Reddy never credited his sister for his historic win in the 2019 elections even though it is a well known fact that she played a key role. When Mr. Reddy was sent to jail in 2012, it was Ms. Sharmila who had held fort and led the 3,000-km-long padayatra which had paved the way for him to become the Chief Minister in 2019.
However, on assuming the top post, Mr. Jagan Reddy sidelined Ms. Sharmila. She moved away from him with her mother, Y.S. Vijayamma, and announced support for the Congress in Telangana. A few months before the 2024 elections, the party appointed her as Congress chief in A.P. She immediately launched a tirade against her brother.
Soon, allegations and counter allegations on property disputes were traded in the open. Ms. Sharmila said that if a Chief Minister could not hold his family together and could even deprive his own sister of what she deserved, how could he be expected to do justice to the State? These remarks reportedly dented Mr. Reddy’s image.
Recently, she accused Mr. Reddy of not supporting the employees of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant who have been agitating for the last four years against a 100% strategic sale. She has even accused the YSR Congress Party of being hand in glove with the Union government on this issue. She has also alleged that her brother was involved in a liquor scam and faulted his choice of words against police officers.
Both Ms. Kavitha and Ms. Sharmila have been demanding their pound of flesh and it is clear that they have refused to concede any ground to their brothers in the male-dominated world of politics.
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Published – May 29, 2025 02:01 am IST