YSR Congress Party

YSR Congress Party or Yuvajana, Shramika, Rythu Congress Party (lit. Youth, Labour and Farmer Congress Party) is a regional political party in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India. It was founded by Siva Kumar in 2009 and taken over by Y. S. Jagan, the son of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (popularly known as YSR) in 2011. Both YSR and YS Jagan (called Jagan by his beloved ones) had been members of the Indian National Congress. YS Jagan was also elected as the national president of the party.

History

After the unexpected death of YS Rajasekhara Reddy, then the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in a helicopter crash in September 2009. his son YS Jagan, the incumbent MP from Kadapa, started an Odarpu Yatra (condolence tour) across Andhra Pradesh, supposedly to console the families of those who had committed suicide or died of shock after the death of his father. This was however not supported by the Congress leadership. Congress President Sonia Gandhi claimed the rising volatile situation in the state regarding the Telangana issue as the main reason for opposing the "Odarpu Yatra". Defying the Congress High Command's order to call off the tour, YS Jagan went ahead with the first leg of the "Odarpu Yatra" in the West Godavari and Khammam districts from in April 2010.