TRS name open for use, says Kavitha as she plans her new party launch

Telangana Jagruthi president Kalvakuntla Kavitha made a candid statement on the name of the political party being launched by her, stating that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) doesn’s exist and anyone was free to use the name.

However, she did not clarify whether she would stake claim to the name for the new political party she is set to launch later this month. The TRS was started by her father K. Chandrashekhar Rao while launching the Telangana statehood agitation, and it was later changed to the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) with the intention of going national.

In an informal chat with reporters, she made her political intentions clear, remarking that the BRS appears to be in a “sleeping mode.” She asserted that her primary political battle would be against the Congress party. “The BRS cadre is with me. But our first enemy is Congress. Our fight is against that party,” she declared.

Ms Kavitha said she has not yet decided from where she would contest the next elections, but indicated that she is open to contesting from Siddipet, represented by her cousin T. Harish Rao or even Gajwel, represented by her father KCR, even if the latter is not reserved for women. Ms Kavitha said the agenda of her proposed party would be unveiled at the launch meeting and hinted that along with party leaders, Telangana movement activists may also share the stage. She clarified that leaders from other political parties would not be invited to the inaugural meeting.

She expressed confidence that public sentiment remains in her favour and described women’s reservation as a significant opportunity for her and her party. “There is often an emotional inclination among voters to support women candidates.”

Raising concerns over delimitation, she pointed out disparities in the number of elected representatives across States. “In Goa, there is one MLA for every 25,000 people, whereas in Telangana there is one MLA for nearly seven lakh people. In Lakshadweep and Assam, there is one MP for about 50,000 people, while here one MP represents nearly 16 lakh people,” she said.

She questioned how a uniform 50% increase in Assembly seats across States could be justified and argued that constituency reorganisation should be based on population and fiscal discipline.