The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), or Telugu Rashtra Samithi as it used to be known, started as a ‘movement party’ with the sole agenda of creating a separate Telangana state, a region which has historically been marginalised within Andhra Pradesh. K Chandrashekhar Rao, the founder-president of BRS, who is often credited as the reviver of the Telangana movement, became the first chief minister of the state when it became an independent political in 2014. Since then, the party has emerged as a dominant political entity with aspirations going beyond the state of Telangana. In December 2023, however, BRS faced its first blow when KCR lost the poll battle to Congress’ Revanth Reddy.
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Outlook maps the journey of BRS from its inception, tracing the key milestones and developments of the party.
2001: K Chandrashekhar Rao, who felt that a separate state was the only solution for the discrimination against the people of Telangana region, left Telugu Desam Party on April 27 and founded Telugu Rashtra Samithi (TRS), with the vision to achieve a separate statehood for Telangana.
2004: TRS contested the general elections in alliance with Congress and won five Lok Sabha seats on the promise of Telangana state. In the Andhra Pradesh assembly elections, the party won 26 seats, adding to the UPA’s winning tally. Rao served as the Union Cabinet minister of Labour and Employment.
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2009: TRS contested independently and suffered a setback, winning 2 Lok Sabha seats and 10 Assembly seats that year.
November 2009: KCR started a fast-unto-death, demanding that the Telangana Bill be introduced in the Parliament. Nine days into his fast, the UPA government at Centre agreed to the bill for the creation of a separate Telangana State.
2014: After years of agitation and political manoeuvring, the Centre announced the formation of Telangana State on June 2, fulfilling the long-standing demand of the supporters of the Telangana movement.
2014: In a newly formed Telangana State, the first Assembly elections were held. TRS emerged victorious, forming the state’s first government. KCR became the first Chief Minister of Telangana.
2016: TRS secured a majority in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, forming a stronghold in urban areas as well.
2019: In the Lok Sabha elections, TRS won 9 out of 17 seats in Telangana, maintaining its continued popularity in the state. Subsequently, KCR launched the idea of a Federal Front, proposing a coalition of regional parties as an alternative to the BJP and Congress dominion at the national level. Despite hard-selling the idea, the BJP returned to power stronger than before.
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2020: During the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, TRS opposed the CAA bill passed by the Centre. The same year, KCR’s government was also faced with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and floods.
2022: KCR announced the expansion of his party’s political aspirations and renamed TRS as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
2023: As disillusionment and anger grew against KCR over his failed promises after serving two terms, the former chief minister and face of Telangana lost the electoral battle in the December polls. His larger-than-life personality came to bite him back as he lost the anti-incumbency vote. Congress, under the chief ministership of Revanth Reddy, came to power.
