TRS is now BRS: Decoding K Chandrashekar Rao’s plunge into national politics

Founded by K Chandrashekar Rao on 27 April 2001, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is now Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). With the aim to counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Telangana chief minister Rao, popularly known as KCR, has made a plunge into national politics.

On Dussehra (5 October), the chief minister launched BRS, his national party, at the ‘auspicious time’ of 1:19 pm.

68-year-old KCR made the announcement during a conclave of party leaders, ministers, MPs, MLAs, and MLCs at Telangana Bhavan, the party headquarters, in Hyderabad. The resolution to rechristen the TRS into BRS was unanimously passed at the general body meeting.

The decision was welcomed by enthusiastic TRS members outside the party headquarters with chants of ‘Desh ke neta KCR’ and ‘KCR Zindabad and TRS Zindabad’.

‘తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్ర సమితి’ పేరును ‘భారత్ రాష్ట్ర సమితి’ గా మారుస్తూ టీఆర్ఎస్ పార్టీ సర్వసభ్య సమావేశం చేసిన ఏకగ్రీవ తీర్మానాన్ని చదివి వినిపించిన పార్టీ అధ్యక్షులు, ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ కే. చంద్రశేఖర్‌ రావు. pic.twitter.com/KF0h9UAWwn

— TRS Party (@trspartyonline) October 5, 2022

JD(S) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and Tamil Nadu’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan also attended the launch of KCR’s national party.

As per India Today, KCR’s party flag will continue to be the car symbol with pink background, however, it will have the additional outline of the India map.

Why TRS has changed its name to BRS? How do regional parties become national? Let’s find out.

KCR’s national ambitions

In 2019, TRS president KCR hinted at playing a role in national politics. Since 2021, the Telangana chief minister had upped the rhetoric against the BJP-led central government, notes The Quint.

In April this year, KCR at the party’s plenary divulged his plans to launch a national party.

In the past few months, the TRS chief met several non-BJP leaders including Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav; Delhi and West Bengal chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Benerjee, respectively; Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik; former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray; ex-Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav; Tamil Nadu and Kerala chief minister MK Stalin and Pinarayi Vijayan, respectively.

The TRS chief also approached farmers’ bodies, trade unions and civil society groups for an alliance, reports NDTV.

KCR will pitch the ‘Telangana good governance model’ to present an alternative front to the BJP in the 2024 general elections, as per Indian Express.

Hyderabad | TRS chief & Telangana CM KC Rao arrives at Telangana Bhavan, to launch national party pic.twitter.com/mFZwJz0wO2

— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2022

“KCR will be the catalyst bringing parties under one platform…His plan is not to become the prime minister but to bring an alternative model of development,” TRS MP KR Suresh Reddy was quoted as saying by NDTV.x

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KCR’s plan for BRS

KCR said at the launch event that the welfare of farmers will be BRS’ main agenda for which they will initially focus on neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka, reports The Hindu.

The Telangana chief minister also said he plans to travel across the country and would start from Maharashtra.

BRS’ affiliated farmers’ association would be rolled out from Maharashtra, as per news agency PTI.

“Maharashtra will be selected as the first field of activity. The national party’s affiliated farmer association will be started from Maharashtra first,” the chief minister said in an official release.

KCR’s BRS would field candidates from several states in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party sources told Indian Express.

TRS becomes BRS

As per NDTV, the party has conveyed the name change to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The political parties can amend their names under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act 1951.

The poll body allows parties to change their name by adhering to established rules and guidelines.

The new name can be in English, Hindi, or any other regional language and should not affect another existing political party, reports Telangana Today.

After being notified of the name change by the concerned political party, the ECI will examine and take a decision within 30 days.

If approved, TRS can fight the next elections under the name Bharat Rashtra Samithi.

However, despite the relabelling, BRS has a long way to be recognised as a national party.

To gain the status of a national party, KCR’s party will need to bag at least six per cent of valid votes in more than four states in general and state elections, as well as win at least four Lok Sabha seats.

The other route to becoming a national party is by getting recognition as a state party in four states.

TRS can also attain the status by winning two per cent of the seats in the general elections from at least three different states, reports ThePrint.

Parties’ reaction to BRS launch

While TRS’ ally All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) congratulated KCR on his party’s foray into national politics, the opposition parties in Telangana including the BJP and Congress have condemned the move.

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, “Congratulations to Telangana chief minister on TRS’s transformation into a national party. My best wishes to the party on their new beginning.”

Congratulations to @TelanganaCMO on @trspartyonline’s transformation into a national party. My best wishes to the party on their new beginning.

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) October 5, 2022

Congress and BJP have hit out at the Telangana chief minister over dropping ‘Telangana’ from the party’s change.

The Telangana Congress committee president A Revanth Reddy said KCR refused to recognise Telangana’s existence by renaming the party, reports The Hindu.

In an apparent reference to KCR’s son and Telangana IT minister K Taraka Rama Rao, state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar wrote, “TRS to BRS is like putting lipstick on a pig. #TwitterTillu claimed to be game changers. But father became a name changer. People are the ultimate fate changers.”

TRS to BRS is like “Putting lipstick on a pig”.#TwitterTillu Claimed to be Game Changers…
But father became a Name Changer.
People are the ultimate Fate Changers !!

— Bandi Sanjay Kumar (@bandisanjay_bjp) October 5, 2022

On BRS’ launch, the BJP Parliamentary board member and Rajya Sabha MP K Laxman claimed it was the end of the road for KCR’s party in Telangana. Taking a dig, the BJP leader said BRS was launched to “unite unemployed political leaders in other states”, as per The Hindu.

With inputs from agencies

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