Politics is a game of survival, and right now, the leadership at the Erravelli farmhouse is failing the test. While even North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is smart enough to project his daughter as a successor-designate to secure his legacy, KCR remains stubborn. He is sticking to a single-track plan for KTR that is clearly falling apart.
International intelligence agencies have officially shifted their assessment of Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju-ae. As of February 2026, she has moved from “succession training” to the “successor-designate stage.” If a dictator with nuclear missiles understands the strategic necessity, why hasn’t KCR?
The “KTR fatigue” has set in. Despite a decade of being pushed as the next big thing, KTR’s time as Working President and his stint in the opposition has been a disaster. Two years after losing power, he still blames the public for the defeat. The “KTR brand” is losing its shine, with opponents like CM Revanth Reddy highlight his series of electoral failures and MoS Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay even labeling him as “iron leg”.
The recent municipal polls were a direct match between former Municipal Minister KTR and current CM Revanth Reddy who is also the Municipal minister. The results were a clear rejection of KTR’s leadership. During the campaign, a desperate KTR told voters they would “lose their sight” if they didn’t vote for BRS and used abusive language against the CM. It didn’t work, and now voices of elevating Harish Rao to Working President are growing louder among BRS cadre.
Adding to the crisis, the Nizamabad results are a loud wake-up call. They show a “Kavitha-sized” hole in the party’s ground game. By shunting her out and focusing only on KTR, KCR has essentially cut off his own party’s feet in North Telangana.
It turns out that having an “heir and a spare” isn’t just for royals – it’s common sense for staying in power. Even Sonia Gandhi understood this common-sense rule for staying in power; when Rahul Gandhi saw a series of failures, she brought in Priyanka Gandhi to bolster the family’s political front.
By putting all his eggs in KTR’s basket, KCR has left the BRS fractured and weak. Telangana is currently witnessing a total rejection of this one-man succession model. If the leadership keeps hiding at the farmhouse and ignoring the “Kavitha factor,” the BRS may not have a future to pass on.
