The political journey of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) represents a significant chapter in India’s regional and national politics, particularly in the southern state of Telangana. What began in 2001 as a focused movement for separate statehood has evolved into a party that ruled for a decade and is now attempting to expand its footprint at the national level.
The party was founded on April 27, 2001, by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) at “Jaladrushyam,” the residence of Konda Laxman Bapuji. KCR resigned from his positions as Deputy Speaker, MLA, and from the Telugu Desam Party to launch the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), with the sole aim of achieving a separate Telangana state.
At a time when the Telangana movement had weakened, KCR revived it through a structured political strategy. Leaders such as V. Prakash and Naini Narasimha Reddy joined the movement, and early public meetings, particularly in Karimnagar, reignited the demand, drawing national attention.
The party gained early momentum through its alliance with the Congress in 2004, ensuring the inclusion of the Telangana issue in the UPA’s Common Minimum Programme. However, delays by the Centre led to a series of resignations and by-elections, which the party used as a strategy to sustain political pressure.
A turning point came in 2009 when KCR launched an indefinite hunger strike with the slogan “Achieve Telangana or die.” The protest galvanized widespread public support, including students and employee unions, leading the Centre to announce the initiation of the Telangana state formation process on December 9, 2009.
Despite subsequent political hurdles and counter-agitations, sustained protests such as the Million March and Sakala Janula Samme kept the movement alive. Ultimately, Parliament passed the Telangana Bill in February 2014, leading to the formal creation of the state on June 2, 2014.
Following state formation, TRS secured a decisive victory in the first assembly elections, with KCR becoming the first Chief Minister. The government implemented major welfare and development schemes, including Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya, and Rythu Bandhu, while also focusing on infrastructure growth such as the Kaleshwaram project and Hyderabad’s expansion as an IT hub.
The party further consolidated its position with a landslide victory in the 2018 assembly elections, winning 88 seats. However, after a decade in power, it faced electoral defeat in 2023, as voters backed the Congress, marking a shift in the state’s political landscape.
In a bid to expand beyond Telangana, KCR rebranded the party as Bharat Rashtra Samithi in October 2022, aiming to take the “Telangana model” to the national stage. However, the party faced a major setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, failing to win any of the 17 seats it contested in the state. Despite these challenges, BRS continues to remain a key political force, with its future trajectory closely watched in both state and national politics.