Following the 2024 General Elections, Bharat Rasthra Samiti (BRS) appears to be under existential threat. Though the credit for the formation and driving political party BRS, erstwhile TRS, to its objective can be given to K Chandrashekar Rao, the fall of the party definitely can be attributed to KCR and his family members KT Rama Rao, K Kavitha, T Harisha Rao and J Santosh Kumar.
BRS is contesting for all the 17 MP seats with a record of having seven seats won in 2019. However, coming to 2024, five out of nine MPs have left BRS, pushing KCR into deep trouble. The major turning point of the crisis for the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) was its defeat in the November 2023 Assembly elections to the Congress party. Although BRS secured 39 Assembly seats, subsequent developments further tarnished its image. Serious allegations and charges of corruption against BRS leaders, a phone-tapping scandal and damage to the pillars of the flagship Kaleshwaram and incomplete status of irrigation projects compounded the party’s woes. Additionally, a central team visited to assess all the irrigation projects undertaken by BRS, highlighting concerns and adding to the mounting challenges facing the party.
Meanwhile, the newly elected Congress CM Revanth Reddy has begun poaching BRS leaders and encouraging elected MLAs to defect to Congress. This strategy aims to strengthen Congress party, which appears promising for seasoned politicians looking ahead to the next five years. The frustrated and increasingly directionless K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) started losing control over his top and senior leaders, exacerbating the party’s instability.
Repercussion of Kavitha’s Arrest
Amidst these developments, the arrest of Kavitha by the Enforcement Directorate on March 15, just days ahead of the General Elections’ notification, dealt a severe blow to BRS and her father, KCR. The attempts to sail against this tide have become impossible for BRS. Sensing the danger of staying in the KCR camp, former TDP and Congress leaders, who switched to BRS during the Telangana movement or while in power, are now playing the same game, jumping to the party in power—Congress. Key figures like Rajya Sabha MP K Keshava Rao, who played a crucial role in lobbying for BRS in Delhi over the last decade, have abandoned KCR and joined the Congress. Senior and experienced politicians, such as Kadiyam Srihari, Allola Karan Reddy have also distanced themselves. Chevella MP Ranjith Reddy and Khairatabad MLA D Nagender are among the notable departures. Additionally, MP Pasunoori Dayakar from Warangal joined the ruling Congress, while BRS MPs from Zaheerabad and Nagarkurnool, BB Patil and P Ramulu, switched allegiance to the BJP. In February, MP Venkatesh Netha rejoined the Congress. This exodus trend started from the top to the lower cadre of BRS. They reached the doors of either Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Condescending Behaviour
In the political circles, numerous stories circulate about KCR and his family being harsh and dismissive towards their own loyal party leaders and cadres. As days passed with Kavitha remaining in Tihar jail, alarm bells sounded louder, indicating deep trouble for BRS. Political pundits opined that if KCR couldn’t protect his own daughter, the party and leaders would be left vulnerable and exposed.
Recently, political analyst Prashant Kishor also observed that KCR is becoming increasingly irrelevant in State politics, while BJP is making significant inroads into Telangana’s political landscape.
In democratic setup it is impossible for political parties to sustain for a longer period without any ideology or target and more danger lies if the leader of the party is well above head and shoulders of all. Founded in 2001 with the singular goal of achieving statehood for Telangana, TRS (BRS) experienced significant successes with a lot of support from all sections of society. Primarily the academicians from the universities, particularly Prof Jayashankar, who is said to be the man behind pushing KCR to come out of Telugu Desam Party and raise the voice for separate Telangana. The journey for 2001 to 2014 was full of programs and public meetings and contesting and losing elections in alliance with different parties be it from gram panchayat to MLA and MPs. The allegations of trust and betrayal on KCR and his team were part and parcel of the Telangana movement, where TRS was considered as a platform to fight for Telangana statehood rather than a political party controlled by one man’s decision. As the movement started gaining public support, the senior politicians and aspiring leaders from Congress, TDP and Communist background believed it as a platform to take off their political careers and tested their luck. During such time, the family members, the son KTR and daughter Kavitha landed from US and joined TRS around 2008 and became key personalities in the party.
In a recent interview with ANI, BRS leader KT Rama Rao, son of KCR, acknowledged that TRS was prepared to merge with the Congress party in 2014 as a gesture of gratitude for the formation of the State. However, he says due to perceived heavy-handedness from State leaders and other factors, the merger did not materialise. Subsequently, the BRS party adopted a new goal of “Bangaru Telangana” and contested elections, successfully forming the first Telangana government in 2014 with 11 MPs and 63 MLAs. In 2019, the party further consolidated its power, securing 88 MLAs and 9 MPs.
Over the past decade, there have been allegations against KCR and his family of becoming symbols of dynasty politics and they were trying to become the first family in terms of political and economic powerhouse of the Telangana replicating families of Karunanidhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackrey, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mamata Benarjee and Farooq Abdullah.
Changing Party’s Nomenclature
In 2022, as a seasoned politician, KCR sensed the looming danger of losing public trust. In an attempt to divert public attention, in October 2022, he rebranded the party from TRS to BRS and proposed a new roadmap aimed at elevating the party’s stature in national politics, with ambitious objectives for both the state and the centre. However, this move backfired disastrously for the party in the 2023 elections, further exacerbating its challenges.
These fast developments since the 2023 Assembly elections defeat are indicating that BRS party itself will not survive in the General Elections. It is tough for the party to get one to two MP seats. The party won five MP seats when it started as TRS in 2004 with a single primary objective of achieving statehood for Telangana.
Today, within 23 years of its political journey, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) finds itself without a specific objective and lacking trusted leadership in the KCR camp. The people of Telangana, who are well-informed about the socio-political history being predicted, are prepared to bid farewell to BRS and KCR forever.
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