For years, Kavitha was one of the most recognisable faces of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). She was KCR’s daughter, KTR’s sister, and the party’s go-to star campaigner. But over the last year, something has changed and it’s not subtle.
These days, when Kavitha takes the stage, there’s no pink scarf, no BRS flag in the background. Instead, we are seeing banners of Telangana Jagruthi, BC rights campaigns, and labour unions. She’s clearly carving her own space, and it’s not under the BRS banner.
The distance began to show after the Delhi liquor case and her arrest. Soon after, a private letter she had written to KCR, raising concerns about party affairs, was mysteriously leaked. Kavitha believes it was an inside job, and that only deepened the rift. When she didn’t get answers or support, she quietly stepped back from core party activities. She stopped toeing the official line and started running her own events without asking the party’s permission.
KTR Vs Kavitha: KCR Silence
BRS insiders know that the party is grooming KTR as the next big face. But Kavitha’s rallies and protests run without party colours and send a clear message: I don’t need the party machinery to draw a crowd. Every time she pulls it off, it chips away at KTR’s image as the party’s sole mass mobiliser.
KCR and KTR have chosen not to confront her openly. Maybe it’s to avoid turning a family issue into a public drama. Or maybe they think ignoring her will slow her down. But in politics, silence can be risky, especially when the person you’re ignoring is building an alternative power base.
Union Shake-Up
The turning point came when BRS removed her from the honorary president post of the Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), the powerful coal miners’ union. Her replacement was senior leader Koppula Eshwar.
Instead of fading away, Kavitha hit back in her own way. She revived the Telangana Jagruthi labour wing and tied up with the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), a direct rival to TBGKS. In Singareni and the coal belt, this was a bold move. HMS gaining influence there isn’t just a union shift; it’s a direct challenge to the BRS stronghold.
The real test will be the Singareni union elections. If HMS beats TBGKS, it will be more than a labour union loss; it will be a symbolic victory for Kavitha and a reminder that the cracks inside the pink fortress are widening. And if that happens, the BRS may find that its toughest battles aren’t with the opposition, but with one of its own.
