About YSR Congress Party
YSR Congress Party or Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party is an Andhra Pradesh political party founded by K.Shiva Kumar and was taken over by Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy ("Jagan"), the son of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ("YSR"). Both YSR and "Jagan" had been members of the Indian National Congress. Jaganmohan Reddy was also elected as Party's national president.
Background
After the death of former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ("YSR"), his son Jaganmohan Reddy started an Odarpu Yatara (condolence tour), supposedly to console the families of those who had allegedly committed suicide or died of shock after the death of his father. This was however not supported by the leadershop of the ruling Congress Party to which he belonged, due to the volatile atate of AP politics regarding Telangana issue. Defying the Congress high command's order to call off the tour, he went on to undertake "Odarpu Yatra". His tour drew large number of people to his meetings. In between, the Jagan-promoted Sakshi TV channel and Sakshi newspaper, had been continuously criticizing the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Konijeti Rosaiah and Congress leadership at Delhi. In a special programme on Sakshi television to mark the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Congress party, a voice-over made remarks on Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh on "sorry state of affairs" in the State, which invited anger and protests from various Congress Party groups and increased gap between Jaganmohan Reddy and Congress party. It later deleted those remarks in re-telecast. After accusing Congress party of ill-treating him and creating rifts in his family by luring Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy (younger brother of YSR) for a State cabinet post in the aftermath the death of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Jaganmohan Reddy and his mother Y. S. Vijaya Lakshmi resigned for Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly constituencies respectively, as members of Congress party. The YSR Congress Party was registered at Election Commission of India on K. Shiva Kumar as founder President from whom Jaganmohan Reddy took over the reign after Shiva Kumar's resignation.
Announcment
On March 11, 2011, Reddy formally announced the name of the new party at a public meeting at Jaggampeta in East Godavari district. The next day i.e. on March 12, 2011 Jaganmohan Reddy made a formal announcement of YSR Congress Party and unfurled its flag in a simple public meeting at Idupulapaya. The blue-white-green coloured flag contains the image of the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy in the centre, encircled by images of the various welfare schemes launched by him. Blue is symbolic of 'youth awakening', white stands for 'peace' while green symbolises 'agriculture'.
First elections
Although the party had contested Member of Legislative Council elections after its birth, the by-election for those seats which were left vacant after the resignations of Y. S. Vijayamma and Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy held on May 8 2011, in which the son and mother duo contested on behalf of the YSR Congress Party, were the first major and direct elections for the party. The Election Commission of India allotted a ceiling fan as the common symbol for YSR Congress contestants in this election. In by-elections Y. S. Vijayamma won the Pulivendula Assembly seat by a record majority of 85,191 votes, highest in that constituency. Jaganmohan Reddy won with a record high majority of 545,043 votes.
