Within a span of two years, YSR Telangana Party president Y.S. Sharmila has emerged as a force to reckon with in Telangana politics, revealed a survey.
Sharmila, daughter of the former chief minister of the united Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, had entered Telangana politics in 2021 with promise to reprise her late father's governance that was driven by a strong bent of welfare, with a perfect mix of development and progress.
YSRTP leaders say that due to her indomitable spirit that saw her walk for more than 3,500 km, and her gritty battle against irregularities in Kaleshwaram, she is now seen as a successor of her father's legacy and a true opponent to KCR, and a sought-after alternative.
This comes out clearly in the latest Centre for Market Research & Social Development (CMSD) survey of Telangana, that was conducted in December 2022, across the state.
According to the party, the survey puts her in the top three chief ministerial candidates.
In this survey, late YSR was voted as the most popular chief minister in the region with 46 per cent recalling his precious welfare schemes that they say acted like a magical wand in transforming their lives socially and economically.
The CMSD survey was conducted across Telangana covering 60 Assembly constituencies.
The results of this survey are out now. Twelve per cent of the respondents wanted Y.S. Sharmila to be the next chief minister of the state. Individual responses, especially in the southern Telangana districts like Khammam, Rangareddy, Nalgonda, Medak and Mahabubnagar gave her a higher percentage of popularity.
The YSR Telangana Party has acquired a huge cadre and support base across Palair, Bhadrachalam, Yellandu, Khammam, Achampet, Wanaparthy and other Assembly segments. The possible vote share of YSR Telangana Party, if elections are held today, stands at over 20 per cent
More than half of the respondents in the north Telangana districts have identified her as the successor of YSR's legacy.
Her padayatra in these places was reported to be a phenomenal success with a large number of locals rallying behind her and more ruling party MLAs strongly targeted by her, with facts and figures of corruption, high-handedness and failed promises.