Bharat Rashtra Samithi

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Template:Infobox Indian Political Party

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (Template:Translation; Template:Small BRS), formerly known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (Template:Translation; Template:Small TRS), is an Indian political party predominantly active in the state of Telangana and currently the primary opposition party in the state. Founded on 27 April 2001 by K. Chandrashekar Rao, it has a single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as its capital.[1] It has been instrumental in carrying forth a sustained agitation for the granting of statehood to Telangana which was realized in 2014.[2]

The party won the majority of seats in the 2014 Telangana Assembly Election, forming the first government of the State with K. Chandrashekar Rao as its chief minister. The party won 11 seats in the 2014 general election, making it the eighth largest party in Lok Sabha, the lower house (lok sabha) of the Indian Parliament.

After a landslide victory in the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly election, the party formed the government in the State for the second time.[3] In the 2019 Indian general election, the party's tally had fallen to nine seats in the Lok Sabha.[4]

Later on 5 October 2022, the name of the party was changed from Telangana Rashtra Samithi to Bharat Rashtra Samithi to foray into national politics.[5][6] After suffering a decisive defeat in the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election, the party was restricted to winning only 39 seats in the state of Telangana,[7] while failing to win any seats in the 2024 Indian general election. As of 2025, the party holds four seats in the upper house, Rajya Sabha.[8]

Ideology

Flag of Telangana Rashtra Samithi

On 27 April 2001, Rao resigned as Deputy Speaker of the Telugu Desam Party.[9] He opined that Telangana people were being categorically discriminated against within the undivided State of Andhra Pradesh. Consequently, Rao argued that only the creation of a separate State of Telangana would allow for the alleviation of the people's predicament.[10] Accordingly, KCR founded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Party at Jala Drushyam, Hyderabad, in April 2001, to achieve statehood for Telangana.[9] The party initially won one-third of Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and one-quarter of Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) in Siddipet within 60 days of the formation of the party.[11]

Politics

File:Telangana Rashtra Samithi logo.png
Logo in use under the party's original name

2004 elections

In the aftermath of 2004 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, the party won 26 state assembly seats and five parliamentary seats. The TRS formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and joined the United Progressive Alliance. In September 2006, the party withdrew support for the central government on the grounds of indecision over the delivery of its electoral promise to create Telangana.[12] On 13 September 2006, Rao triggered a by-election in his Lok Sabha constituency of Karimnagar, claiming provocation from Congress MLA M. Satyanarayana Rao and citing delay in the formation of Telangana state, as promised by Congress in its 2004 manifesto.[13] He won the subsequent by-election with a strong majority.[14] All TRS MLAs and MPs resigned their positions in April 2008 when the Central government did not meet their demand for a separate state in its latest budget session.[15] The by-election was held on 29 May 2008. In the 2008 by-elections, TRS retained only seven out of the 16 assembly segments and two out of the four Lok Sabha segments that it resigned, a significant defeat for the party.[16][17] TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao offered to resign after the by-election losses, but instead remained in office after other party leaders rejected the resignation.[17]

Prof Jayashankar Statue in Telangana Bhavan, TRS State Office

2009 elections

In the 2009 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, the party contested as part of the Maha Kutami (Grand Alliance) alongside the Telugu Desam Party and the Left parties, to challenge the incumbent Congress government.[18] TRS contested 45 assembly seats but secured only 10, marking a sharp decline from its 2004 tally of 26 seats.[19] The party’s performance was widely regarded as disappointing, with several candidates even losing their deposits, indicating limited electoral traction despite the growing sentiment for a separate Telangana state. TRS extended support to the National Democratic Alliance after polling but before counting.[20]

2014 elections

In the 2014 Assembly and National Elections, TRS did not align with NDA or UPA and fought the elections on its own. TRS, which led the campaign for a separate State for more than a decade, emerged victorious by winning 11 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats and 63 of the 119 Assembly seats, and emerged as the party with the largest vote share in Telangana. The TRS' campaign had no other stars except KCR who addressed over 300 public meetings, heli-hopping around and often addressing more than 10 meetings in a single day. The TRS not only retained its north Telangana stronghold but also made inroads in south Telangana, a Congress bastion.[21]

It was only after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, and the creation of separate Telangana state that the party begun to deliver electoral success. TRS won 63 out of 110 seats it contested in the 2014 Assembly elections in the newly formed state, and went on to form the government.[22] K. Chandrashekar Rao, had taken oath as the first Chief Minister of the new state of Telangana on 2 June 2014.

2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly election

The TRS Government headed by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on 6 September 2018 dissolved the Legislative Assembly, the first after the formation of Telangana, to pave the way for early elections in the state.[23] The party announced a list of 104 candidates for elections on the same day.[24]

In the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly election, held three months after the house dissolution, the TRS party won with a massive majority. They won 88 seats, more than 70% of the 119 total.[22]

2019 Indian general election

In May 2019, TRS Chief Rao flouted the idea of Federal Front, aiming for a non-Congress and non-BJP government at the centre.[25] The party won nine out of the contested 17 seats, a reduction of two seats from the 2014 election.[26]

2022-present: Name change, electoral setbacks

Bharat Rashtra Samithi

The name of the party was changed from Telangana Rashtra Samithi to Bharat Rashtra Samithi on 5 October 2022 to foray into national politics ahead of the 2024 Indian general election.[5][6] On 6 October 2022, officials from BRS submitted the relevant documents required for name change according to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to the Election Commission of India in New Delhi.[27] As of October 2022, the party activities are taking place from a rented building at Sardar Patel Marg in Delhi. On 14 November the party office was inaugurated at New Delhi.[28][29]

Andhra Pradesh unit

The party created its local unit in the residual Andhra Pradesh state on 2 January 2023. Dr. Thota Chandrasekhar, former general secretary of the Jana Sena Party, was named its president. Other leaders from Andhra Pradesh who joined the party on the on its state unit's formation include former minister Ravela Kishore Babu, former IRS official Partha Sarathi, and former Praja Rajyam Party leader T. J. Prakash.[30][31]

The state unit suffered a setback in April 2023 when the Election Commission of India derecognised the BRS as a state party in Andhra Pradesh. The party had been enjoying state party status in Undivided Andhra Pradesh since 2004, and then in the states of residual Andhra Pradesh and Telangana since 2014.[32]

2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election

At the 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly election, the party lost their majority, with their vote share falling by 10.52% to 37.35% and their seat count falling from 88 to 39. They retained their seats in the Greater Hyderabad region, but lost most of their seats in the rest of the state to Congress, who won 64 seats and formed the next government.

2024 Indian general election

The party suffered a further setback at the 2024 Indian General Election. Despite their previous national ambitions, the party only contested in Telangana. However, they were wiped out, losing all 9 of their seats in the state. The party's vote share was over cut in half from 41.71% to 16.68%.

Legislative leaders

List of chief ministers

Chief Minister of Telangana Template:Further

No. Portrait Name
Template:Small 		Term in office [[Telangana Legislative Assembly|Template:Black]] Constituency Ministry
Assumed office Left office Time in office
1 K. Chandrashekar Rao
(Template:Abbr 1954) 		2 June 2014 12 December 2018 Template:Ayd 1st Gajwel Rao I
13 December 2018 6 December 2023 2nd Rao II

Deputy Chief Ministers of Telangana

S.No. Name Portrait Took office Left office Term Chief Minister
1 M. Mahmood Ali 2 June 2014[33] 12 December 2018 Template:Age in years and days K. Chandrashekar Rao
2 T. Rajaiah 2 June 2014 25 January 2015[34] Template:Age in years and days
3 Kadiyam Srihari 25 January 2015[35] 12 December 2018 Template:Age in years and days

List of Union Ministers

No. Image Minister Portfolio Term in Office Constituency
(House) 		Prime Minister
Assumed Office Left Office Time in Office
1 K. Chandrashekhar Rao
(1954–) 		Minister of Shipping 23 May 2004 25 May 2004 2 days Karimnagar
(Lok Sabha) 		Manmohan Singh
(Manmohan I)
Minister without Portfolio 25 May 2004 27 November 2004 Template:Ayd
Minister of Labour and Employment 27 November 2004 24 August 2006 Template:Ayd
2 Ale Narendra
(1946–2014) 		Minister of Rural Development
(Minister of State) 		23 May 2004 24 August 2006 Template:Ayd Medak
(Lok Sabha)

Leadership

List of presidents
S.No. Portrait Name Term
Template:Small 		Duration Ref.
1 K. Chandrashekar Rao 27 April 2001 – Incumbent Template:Age in years, months and days
List of working presidents
S.No. Portrait Name Term
Template:Small 		Duration Ref.
1 K. T. Rama Rao 15 December 2018 – Incumbent Template:Age in years, months and days [36]

Electoral performance

Lok Sabha Election

Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Election Year Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | House term Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Party leader Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Seats contested Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Seats won Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Change in seats Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Popular vote Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Percentage of votes Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Vote swing Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Outcome Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Ref.
2004 14th K. Chandrashekar Rao 12 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase5 2,441,405 0.63% Template:Steady new Template:Yes2 [37]
2009 15th 9 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease3 2,582,326 0.62% Template:Decrease 0.01% Template:Partial [38]
2014 16th 17 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase9 6,736,270 1.22% Template:Increase 0.6% Template:Partial [38]
2019 17th 17 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease2 7,696,848 1.25% Template:Increase 0.03% Template:Partial [26]
2024 18th 17 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease11 3,657,237 0.57% Template:Decrease 0.68% Template:No2 [26]

Template:Bar box Template:Vertical bar chart

State Legislative Assembly elections

Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Election Year Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | House term Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Party leader Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Seats contested Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Seats won Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Change in seats Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Popular vote Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Percentage of votes Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Vote swing Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Outcome Style="background-color:Template:Party color;color:white" | Ref.
United Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly
2004 12th K. Chandrashekar Rao 54 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 26 2,390,940 6.68% Template:Steady new Template:Yes2 [39]
2009 13th 45 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 16 1,678,906 3.99% Template:Decrease 2.69% Template:Partial [40]
2014 1st 119 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 53 6,620,326 13.68% Template:Yes2 Template:Efn [41]
Telangana Legislative Assembly
2018 2nd K. Chandrashekar Rao 119 Template:Composition bar Template:Increase 25 9,700,479 46.9% Template:Yes2 [22]
2023 3rd 119 Template:Composition bar Template:Decrease 49 8,753,924 37.35% Template:Decrease 9.55% Template:No2 [42]

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

  1. ↑ Telangana finds a new man and moment. The Hindu.Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore
  2. ↑ Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) – Party History, Symbol, Founders, Election Results and News. Elections.in. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Telangana Election Results 2018: TRS wins 88 seats, KCR set to return for a second term. The Financial Express(2018-12-12). Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  4. ↑ Election Results 2019 Telangana: TRS wins 9 out of 17 seats | As it happened. India Today(2019-05-23). Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 TRS renamed as 'Bharat Rashtra Samithi' as CM KCR eyes national politics. mint(2022-10-05). Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 TRS is now BRS: All about KCR's 'national party' Bharat Rashtra Samithi. The Economic Times(2022-10-05). Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  7. ↑ Telangana Assembly election results 2023 | BRS leadership accepts defeat. The Hindu(2023-12-03).
  8. ↑ Congress eyes Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson post but numbers pose a challenge, Khan, Fatima. ThePrint(2020-09-08). Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dy. Speaker resigns, launches new outfit(28 April 2001). Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  10. ↑ Telangana finds a new man and moment(19 May 2001). Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  11. ↑ Timeline - Telangana Rashtra Samithi. Trspartyonline.org(28 February 2014). Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  12. ↑ TRS pulls out of UPA alliance, withdraws support to govt. DNA India(2006-08-22). Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  13. ↑ KCR wins the battle of Telangana, Jafri, Syed Amin. www.rediff.com(7 December 2006). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  14. ↑ TRS President C Rao resigns from LS. Hindustan Times(2006-09-12). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  15. ↑ The quit fix, Menon, Amarnath K.. India Today(8 March 2008). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  16. ↑ AP by-polls: TRS suffers a setback. India Today(1 June 2008). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Andhra bypolls: TRS suffers shocking defeat. www.rediff.com(1 June 2008). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  18. ↑ Congress headache: TRS joins TDP-Left alliance for Andhra polls. The Indian Express(2009-02-01). Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  19. ↑ YSR retains power in Andhra, IANS. India Today(2009-05-16). Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  20. ↑ TRS formally joins NDA fold. Hindustan Times(2009-05-10). Retrieved 2025-11-16.
  21. ↑ TRS wins Telangana(28 May 2014). Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Telangana Election Results 2018: TRS wins 88 seats, KCR set to return for a second term. The Financial Express(2018-12-12). Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  23. ↑ Telangana Assembly dissolved; Stage set for early polls in Telangana. Indtoday.com(6 September 2018). Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  24. ↑ KCR announces TRS list of 105 candidates for Telangana Elections 2019. Indtoday.com(6 September 2018). Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  25. ↑ Federal Front: TRS chief KCR aims for non-BJP, non-Cong front; to meet Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan today. www.timesnownews.com(6 May 2019). Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 KCR's TRS wins 9 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana; BJP a surprise winner in 4. Zee News(2019-05-23). Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  27. ↑ Resolution on BRS handed over to EC. The Hindu(6 October 2022).
  28. ↑ BRS to commence activities in Delhi from rented building. The Siasat Daily(7 October 2022). Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  29. ↑ KCR | BRS Party Office: Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao inaugurates BRS party office in New Delhi, Ali, Roushan. The Times of India(Dec 14, 2022). Retrieved 2022-12-25.
  30. ↑ BRS forms Andhra Pradesh unit with local leaders. The Statesman(3 January 2023). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  31. ↑ BRS makes foray into Andhra Pradesh, KCR appoints state chief, Service, Indo-Asian News. The Siasat Daily(2023-01-02). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  32. ↑ Losing state party status derails BRS plans for Andhra Pradesh. www.daijiworld.com(16 April 2023). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  33. ↑ KCR keeps his promise; Mehmood Ali becomes first Deputy CM of Telangana. Two Circles(2 June 2014). Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  34. ↑ Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Rajaiah sacked. The Hindu(2015-01-25). Retrieved 2015-01-25.
  35. ↑ Kodiyam Srikari: As EDUCATION MINISTER & DEPUTY CM. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  36. ↑ KT Rama Rao appointed TRS working president. The Times of India(2018-12-14). Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  37. ↑ Statistical Report on General Elections, 2004 to the 14th Lok Sabha. Election Commission of India(2004).
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 General Elections, 2009 (15th Lok Sabha): Performance of State Parties. Election Commission of India(2009).
  39. ↑ Statistical Report on General Elections, 2004 to the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh. Election Commission of India(2004).
  40. ↑ Statistical Report on General Elections, 2009 to the Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh. Election Commission of India(2009).
  41. ↑ Election Results 2014: TDP, TRS Win Seemandhra, Telangana Assembly Polls. NDTV.com. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  42. ↑ Telangana Election Results 2023 Highlights: Congress Wins 64 Seats, BRS Gets 39, BJP 8. NDTV.com. Retrieved 2023-12-04.

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