Unbothered by either the heat wave or the crowd that gathered behind her on her way, she paid attention to the people as they listed out problems — most of which seemed to be about missing occasional tranches of the YSRCP’s flagship welfare schemes — and recorded complaints, promising to have them attended to.
One constituent chided her for being out in the sun and not hydrating. “Why did you come out in this heat? You have our vote already,” says an elderly woman, who has consistently been voting for the YSR family in what is now a YSRCP stronghold. “You need to take care, Bharathi Amma!”
At a time when the family is beleaguered by a very public feud with her sister-in-law Y.S. Sharmila, who’s also standing for election in the same district of Kadapa, Bharathi’s rare visibility is putting a whole new spin on the ‘personal is political.’
Her appearance on the campaign trail is a reminder of how despite the drama — and the potential of a split in the vote bank as the siblings go head-to-head in the polls — the rest of the chief minister’s family stands with Jagan.
“As the chief minister’s wife, my role is limited to being a sounding board, attending public events, and dealing with the stress that comes with the office,” Bharathi says in a matter-of-fact tone to ThePrint at her residence in Pulivendula, while on a brief afternoon break from the heavy heat.
“And that’s the biggest thing I come across in this role. It’s more about handling sudden, unexpected things — there’s so much uncertainty and stress that comes along with this office, and I find that that’s my biggest role.”
She was referring to the last month’s attack on her husband, when Jagan was hit by stones in Vijayawada. A similar knife attack took place before polls in 2019.
A brief silence follows: what goes unsaid is the war of words as Sharmila — who had campaigned strongly for the party through previous elections — publicly distanced herself from the family and joined the rival Congress as its state president in January.
In a state where family politics has always dictated the political scenario, the 2024 election is a marked departure from the last two assembly elections. As opposed to Sharmila’s exit, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the family of its chief Chandrababu Naidu rallied behind him following his arrest in September 2023
And to add to the family drama, the TDP has aligned with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party and the BJP in a bid to overthrow the YSRCP. The fight has turned dirty, with no holds barred: potshots are personal, not political. Everything from the colour of sarees to personality traits are up for grabs.
But Bharathi’s concern for Jagan bleeds through the political veneer. To her, he seems to be fighting off the combined forces of possible anti-incumbency and a huge opposition alliance coalesced across the ideological spectrum.
“Everyone else is out against Jagan, ganged up against Jagan,” she says, with a laugh. “But I think that only shows that Jagan is very strong.”
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Pulivendula’s own
Pulivendula is the ancestral seat of the Reddy family. It’s where Bharathi and Jagan fell in love under the summer sun during holidays; their cousins ferrying notes away from the elders’ watchful eyes. It’s where the family still gathers every Christmas. And it’s also where the CM’s wife chooses to situate herself, even as family and party members alike ask her to cast net across the rest of the state.
But Bharathi is steadfast and prefers to stay out of the spotlight — even though she is no stranger to politics.
“This is my hometown. But in a position like this, you’re the candidate’s representative on the ground,” she explains. “It’s a time to reconnect with the people and their needs.”
Bharathi has just showered, changed, and had lunch before quickly conducting private meetings. The morning’s campaign took more time than expected, and she hasn’t finished visiting all the households she had aimed for.
As the sun wanes, Bharathi hits the road again at 4:00 pm, this time to much more fanfare as Vempalli village — about 45 minutes from her home in Pulivendula — was alerted to her visit after that morning. She stays on the road until about 9 pm, before making her way back home.
A YSRCP stronghold and a family bastion for decades, Bharathi campaigns in and around Pulivendula every election, either for her father-in-law late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, or her husband since she got married 28 years ago.
But it’s also where she was born and brought up. Her parents are well-known doctors — her father, child specialist Dr. E.C Gangi Reddy, in particular, was very popular.
“I first saw Bharathi amma and Jagan anna when I was a child, visiting Dr. Reddy’s home,” Pulivendula local Sheikh Jaheer Ahammad, 28, says. “It was late at night and I was unwell and Dr. Reddy treated me. He was always available to whoever needed him. That’s why she is like family, and I think the people also treat her like family.”
The family still has roots in Pulivendula, which wears the sheen of being the chief minister’s constituency. The one main road running down the town is lined with brand new European-style lampposts and benches, while a new medical college and bus stand tower over the outskirts. The rest of the town is yet to catch up, but there is still plenty of love for the family.
“I’ve been living here for 15 years, and I’ve seen Bharathi amma a few times,” says Anu Phillip, a Malayali who moved to the town after marriage. “What I like about her is that she seems calm and simple. But I can imagine that there’s always chaos around her!”
Bharathi explains that it is not just nostalgic loyalty that keeps Pulivendula bound to her family — she feels the people truly believe in the YSRCP’s vision and her husband’s ability to deliver on their promises.
She has noticed this shift in attitude between the last time she did such public outreach in 2019 and the current election.
Five years ago, people were asking her for houses, pensions, healthcare, and help with school fees, but this time, she says, that the people have been telling her that their basic needs have been met.
“In 2019, people expressed their support for Jagan. But this time, they expressed their confidence in Jagan,” she says with a small smile flitting across her face.
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Her own goals
While public perception places her as a strong guiding force behind the chief minister’s actions — and her own keen political sense belies her protestations — Bharathi politely demurs and says that she wouldn’t describe her role as advisory at all.
Even though politics is perennial in their lives, she tries not to let it have a seat at the dinner table. A relative remarks that she gets so little time with Jagan that she prefers not to spend it talking shop.
Her advisory role is to the multiple businesses she’s involved in — across media, cement, real estate, infrastructure, and power. She also has investments in companies like Reliance Industries, Jio Financial, NMDC, Asian Paints, and UltraTech Cements, and is also involved in several local NGOs. She takes reviews once in a while, but is confined to a more advisory capacity.
And her own goals have shifted over time, in tandem with her husband’s rising political star and the lives of their children.
But after her father’s death in 2020, Bharathi began to prioritise her own passions. And since her husband became the chief minister and her children have grown into adulthood, she has a new cause: the financial independence of women.
“I want to advise women on how to manage their money, and how to make it grow.”
Her family prompts Bharathi to own up to her own individual accomplishments, saying that by nature she keeps to herself and only publicly speaks in the capacity as her Jagan’s wife.
“I think it is so important that women learn how to be financially independent — not just manage household expenses, but also achieve financial literacy and create more wealth for themselves. I think that is my cause, and that is one thing I want to do for myself.”
And she has recently joined a wealth management course to be able to do that. It has been hard to juggle given all her other commitments and responsibilities, but it is what she turns to when she has time to herself — which, Bharathi says, she suddenly has, as the children are away from home.
She doesn’t seem to see a distinction between her various roles, however. At the end of the day, while managing her own life and ambitions, she plays the part of a shock absorber — a sobering force in a whirlwind of drama and political nastiness.
“It’s not easy, but it’s a journey,” Bharathi shrugs, while an aide beckons, summoning her to her next commitment, her brief moment of respite over.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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