Another Party On The Anti-Corruption Plank: Can Kavitha Carve A Space In Telangana Politics?

Recalling a pointed statement once made by her father, Kalvakuntla Kavitha declared, “He had said he would disown even his own children if they were corrupt. Yet, I have been expelled for questioning corruption.” As she launched her new political party, eight months after being ousted from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, the daughter of K. Chandrashekar Rao, former chief minister of Telangana, vowed an uncompromising political battle, saying she would “wage a war for the people of Telangana”, calling it non-negotiable.

Kavitha is the latest entrant in the political arena seeking to claim the anti-corruption plank. It is an irony that she has launched her party at a time when the Aam Aadmi Party — which rose to national prominence on an anti-corruption platform — is facing a serious existential crisis, with several of its MPs having switched to the BJP.

In Tamil Nadu, actor Vijay launched his party TVK on the plank of anti-corruption and nepotism. How that party could break the binary of Tamil Nadu politics will be revealed after the election.

Kavitha, a former MP and MLC of the BRS, has launched her party two years ahead of the assembly polls in Telangana.

Kavitha’s re-entry into active politics, following her fallout with her father and brothers, had long been anticipated. Kavitha, who had been running the NGO Telangana Jagruthi, has named her fledgling party the Telangana Rashtra Sena.

The choice is politically loaded: the acronym “TRS” mirrors that of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the party originally founded by K. Chandrashekar Rao during the Telangana statehood movement. By adopting a name that closely echoes the original TRS, Kavitha appears to be staking a claim to the legacy of that movement and its political symbolism.

“Anti-corruption is a familiar plank used by many politicians to launch their parties. But that alone is not enough to address the complex social issues facing the state. As for Kavitha, she has not spelt out any concrete action plan after evaluating the problems and crises confronting Telangana,” said M. Kodandaram, a former professor at Osmania University and an activist who played a key role in the Telangana statehood movement.

Kavitha, an IT professional who had been working in the United States, returned to Telangana when the statehood movement was at its peak. She went on to mobilise women and youth  and founded the NGO Telangana Jagruthi, which played a significant role in bringing women and youth into the movement.

She continued to lead the organisation even after the formation of Telangana, steering various cultural and humanitarian initiatives under its banner. However, her political trajectory took a sharp turn when Kavitha was expelled from the BRS amid a series of internal and family rivalries. She publicly accused her cousins — T. Harish Rao and Santosh Kumar — in connection with the corruption allegations that her father, K. Chandrashekar Rao, faced over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.

Earlier, she had been arrested and jailed in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. It was after her release that her equations within the party changed significantly, much to her detriment. She was eventually removed from the party after a letter she wrote to her father was leaked to the media.

Following her suspension in September last year, Kavitha undertook a yatra titled “Jagruthi Janam Bata” (Jagruthi goes back to the people) in October, signalling her attempt to reconnect with the grassroots.

“What Kavitha can achieve in Telangana — a state already crowded with political players — remains to be seen. Like Vijay and others, she is anchoring her politics around corruption. In Tamil Nadu, too, it is unclear how Vijay will perform. With Telangana heading to the polls in the next couple of years, the political landscape is still evolving. But for now, Kavita is directing her attack at K. Chandrashekar Rao — her own father — at a time when the BRS leadership is levelling various allegations against the Congress government. This could have a significant impact on Telangana politics,” said Gari Nagaraja, a political commentator.

He added that her prime target is now the father’s party, which is trying to emerge from political hibernation after a series of setbacks.  “But with Kavitha targeting BRS, Chandrasekhar Rao’s efforts will have to be doubled. When the anti- incumbency gets split, it could help the incumbent government,” he says.

What political path the newly launched party will ultimately tread remains a key question. “There is a possibility that the new party may have to align with a major player, unless it is able to carve out a significant space for itself,” said M. Kodandaram.

However, leaders of the TRS maintain that their agenda is already clear, and speculation over alliances is premature. “For us, Telangana is the first priority. All major parties in the state — be it the Congress, the BJP or the BRS — have relegated Telangana’s priorities. We are the only party that stands firmly for the state’s interests,” said party spokesperson Akash Kolluru.

On the question of a possible alliance with the BJP, he asserted that the party remains committed to secularism. “While introducing women’s reservation, the OBC factor should also be included,” he added, underscoring the party’s emphasis on the empowerment of backward class women.

Critics, however, have also framed their scepticism along gender lines, pointing out that in the Telugu states — Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — women leaders have historically struggled to achieve sustained electoral success. They cite the example of Lakshmi Parvati, wife of N. T. Rama Rao, who could not prevail in her political battle against N. Chandrababu Naidu. Similarly, Y. S. Sharmila, now the Pradesh Congress Committee president in Andhra Pradesh, has yet to translate her political efforts into significant electoral success.

“Our party is fighting not just corruption but patriarchy as well,” Kolluru said, rejecting the allegation that the Telugu states are not for women leaders.

After the formation of Telangana, the BRS ruled the state for two consecutive terms, a run that ended in 2023 when the Congress came to power for the first time. In the subsequent Lok Sabha elections, the BRS failed to win a single seat, while the Congress and the BJP secured eight seats each.

Having suffered a series of electoral setbacks, the BRS is now attempting to regain political ground by levelling strong allegations against the government led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. In this context, by positioning herself primarily against her father, K. Chandrashekar Rao, and his party, Kavitha risks undercutting the BRS’s efforts to recover from its setbacks and sharpen its attack on the ruling dispensation.

How far she succeeds in carving out an independent political space will significantly shape her political trajectory in the months ahead.