On Friday, Y S Sharmila, the sister of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and president of the YSR Telangana Party, declared that her party would not run in the Telangana assembly elections but would instead back the Congress party.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) officially published a gazette notice on Friday, marking the start of the nomination process for the state’s assembly elections.

The last date for filing nominations in all the 119 constituencies is November 10. Scrutiny of nominations will be done on November 13 and candidates can withdraw names by November 15. The polling will be held on November 30 and results will be declared on December 3 along with that of the remaining four states — Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan — that are going to polls.

November 10 is the final day to submit nominees in each of the 119 constituencies. On November 13, the nominations will be scrutinised, and by November 15, candidates may remove their names. The polls are scheduled for November 30 and the results, together with those of the other four states holding elections, namely Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, will be announced on December 3.

Speaking with reporters on Friday morning at her home in Lotus Pond, Sharmila explained that she had chosen not to run in the Telangana assembly elections in order to maintain the unity of the pro-Congress vote.

“As you are aware, Telangana is in a pivotal position since elections for the state assembly are set for November 30. The misrule of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), has angered the people of Telangana, and they are all willing to overthrow his harsh and dishonest government, she claimed.

Sharmila stated that all like-minded parties ought to work together for the benefit of Telangana’s citizens in light of the disclosures regarding corruption and misrule.

“To support this cause, the YSRTP has taken a very important decision. In scripting the imminent defeat of BRS, it is felt that the Congress party stands a chance, and any division of anti-incumbency votes at this stage will be a hurdle in dethroning KCR,” she said.

According to several surveys and on-the-ground data, the chief of the YSRTP stated that her party’s contesting in the elections will have a direct effect on the Congress’s vote share in numerous constituencies. As a result, the YSR Telangana Party has chosen to forego running for office in the Telangana assembly elections. In the greater interest of the state and to make sure that the wider cause of people is handled, I have made this crucial decision to back off,” she declared.