EC approves TRS as name of Kavitha's new party

The Election Commission of India has approved Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) as the name of Kalvakuntla Kavitha’s new political party.

Kavitha’s office said on Thursday that the Central Election Commission has officially given the TRS name to Kavitha.

It said officials handed over a letter granting permission to the party at Kavitha's residence in Banjara Hills here.

Kavitha had, last week, launched the new political party as Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS). However, the ECI approved the name Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS).

The Election Commission is reported to have declined approval for Telangana Rashtra Sena as this will be almost similar to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the earlier name of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

Kavitha, however, was keen on the acronym TRS as it was a household name during the Telangana movement.

She formally launched her TRS on April 25, more than six months after resigning from the BRS following her suspension from the party led by her father and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), at a public meeting at Muneerabad in Medchal Malkajgiri district near here.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was launched by KCR in 2001 to revive the movement for a separate state of Telangana. It became the BRS in 2022 as the party planned to expand itself to other parts of the country.

Kavitha picked the acronym 'TRS' at a time when the BRS is seriously considering the proposal to revert to the TRS, as the party leaders believe that the party lost connect with the people due to the name change and as a result lost power in 2023 and drew a blank in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

At the launch event, Kavitha had criticised KCR and her brother and BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao (KTR).

Also stating that KCR is no longer the same person, she accused him of not standing with people, especially farmers and the poor, in times of distress.

Reacting to Kavitha’s party, KTR stated on April 27 that political parties come and go.

"Parties come and go. There is no need to pay much attention to it," he said while replying to queries at a press conference.