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A crowd of nearly thirty thousand erupted into thunderous applause as Kalvakuntla Kavitha announced the name of her new party – Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS) – on April 25. As streamers in the party colours of blue, yellow and green were released, many in the crowd chanted “CM, CM”, indicating their hope that Kavitha will become Telangana’s next chief minister.
The party’s name is striking. In its shortened form, it recalls the old Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS formed during the Telangana movement. The old TRS renamed themselves the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in 2022. Headed by former CM and Kavitha’s father K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), the BRS suspended Kavitha in September 2025.
Kavitha’s choice to name her new party Telangana Rashtra Sena is widely seen as an open challenge. BRS leaders have, meanwhile, accused Kavitha of “stealing” the name.
At the launch, Kavitha said that though her father had “abandoned” Telangana, she wouldn’t. She has previously accused the BRS of drifting away from its core values: the state’s regional aspirations. At the time, she said that she would focus on these unfulfilled aspirations and promised that ‘Telangana’ would be included in the new party’s name.
She also unveiled five flagship initiatives collectively titled Panchajanya and is named after the shankha or conch, associated with the Hindu deity Krishna. The conch is believed to signify education, health, agriculture, livelihood, and samajika (civilised) Telangana.
Kavitha promised free education and health care for the working class and middle class at both public and private institutions. She added that agriculture would be “transformed” in the state. Further, she vowed that her TRS would create 4 lakh jobs if elected, ensuring progress across castes.
The event boasted imagery and symbolism that smacked of Telangana’s identity. Flexi boards with Kavitha at the centre also carried images paying homage to Professor Jayashankar, an ideologue of the Telangana statehood movement alongside leaders like Dr BR Ambedkar and Jyotirao Phule.
The launch witnessed Bathukamma (a folk dance) performance. The dance is normally performed during Navaratri and Chindu Yakshaganam to depict stories from the Bhagavatam. Kavitha had been instrumental in popularising Bathukamma at the height of the Telangana agitation while heading Telangana Jagruthi — the old TRS’ cultural wing.
The song for the Bathukamma performance was penned and sung by well-known Telangana artist Nalgonda Gaddar. The lyrics refer to Kavitha as “gadda pourashala bidda” (the daughter of a proud soil).
During her speech, she referenced Telangana stalwarts like Makhdoom Moinuddin, Komaram Bheem, Professor Jayashankar, Sardar Sarvai Pappanna, Konda Laxman Bapuji, Chakali Ailamma and others. Kavitha positioned herself as a mother figure: “A mother’s rule is unconditional, considerate, and giving. Nothing can be as unconditional as a mother.”
Attacking her father, she added, “This is not our KCR. This is a maarina KCR. Aatma leni maribomma lanti KCR” (a changed KCR. A soulless wooden doll-esque KCR).
She also accused the BRS of abandoning the spirit of udhyamam (revolution) once statehood had been achieved.
“We had thought that if we got a new state, our shackles would be broken. But farmers were handcuffed. The love for sand mining resulted in attacks on Dalits in Nerella. There were deaths. No freedom to speak freely. There was constant surveillance. It is 100% true that we did not get the Telangana which we dreamt of,” Kavitha said.