Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allowed Kavitha Kalvakuntla to announce the name of her party as Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS), days after she claimed the abbreviation for herself.
On April 25, Kavitha launched her political party at a huge public event near Hyderabad, announcing its name as Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS). The name triggered controversy as it closely resembles Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the former name of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party, run by her father K Chandrashekar Rao and brother KT Rama Rao.
In a letter to Kavitha dated April 28, the ECI said it was permitting the name Telangana Rakshana Sena for announcing through public notice in newspapers. It said that the final approval of the name will depend on objections filed based on this notice.
The ECI referred to her application dated April 23, two days before her party launch event, where she had submitted five options for her party’s name. Only one of them, the one now approved by the ECI, abbreviates to TRS. Its expansion is also different from the one announced by Kavitha at her event, with the R standing for Rakshana and not Rashtra.
Kavitha’s party said in a social media post that the name TRS was granted to her by “coincidence”.
Kavitha announced the news and said that the five name options were submitted back in January.
Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS), it is!
— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) April 30, 2026
We will relentlessly work to serve and protect the people of Telangana, as we have done in the last two decades as Telangana Jagruthi.
We received a letter of approval from the Election Commission in person. I would like to thank the… pic.twitter.com/fje0VOTkh9
“Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS), it is! We will relentlessly work to serve and protect the people of Telangana, as we have done in the last two decades as Telangana Jagruthi.”
In January 2026, following standard EC protocol, we submitted five name choices, and the Election Commission has officially granted our third choice.
The only one with the acronym TRS.
Destiny, it seems, has a sense of irony !!” the post said.
BRS members objected to Kavitha’s use of the abbreviation TRS after the party launch, claiming that the ECI wouldn’t permit the use of a name that sounded similar to a previously existing party.
Relax guys
— Karthik Indra Reddy Patlolla (@KarthikIndrAnna) April 25, 2026
Election Commission of India won't permit it
ECI rules prevent reuse of similar names
The ECI does not allow registration of a new party if:
* The name is identical or very similar to an existing/previous party
* It may confuse voters
* Cap of ten years is in place…
BRS leaders have now criticised the change of the expansion of TRS just days after it was announced.
ఏడాది పాటు ప్లాన్ చేసి
— Konatham Dileep (@KonathamDileep) April 30, 2026
అయిదు రోజుల క్రింద అట్టహాసంగా
ప్రకటించిన పార్టీ పేరే
ఇవ్వాళ మారిపోయింది.
మీకే ఈమాత్రం క్లారిటీ లేకపోతే
ఇంక ప్రజల జీవితాలను ఏం ఉద్దరిస్తారు?
చిత్తశుద్ధి లేని పనులు ఎట్లుంటయో
మీ పార్టీ కంగాళీ వ్యవహారం చూస్తే అర్థమవుతోంది!
The five alternative names proposed by Kavitha were Telangana Praja Jagruti, Telangana Jagruti, Telangana Rakshana Sena, Telangana Rastra Jagruti, and Telangana Praja Shakti.
Telangan Jagruti is the name of the former cultural wing of the BRS, prominently led by Kavitha when she was still in the party.
KCR suspended Kavitha from BRS eight months ago, citing alleged anti-party activities. The split emerged amid tensions within the party, with Kavitha on one side, and her brother KTR and cousins T Harish Rao and Joginapally Santosh Kumar on the other.
In the application to ECI on behalf of her organisation Telangana Praja Jagruti, Kavitha proposed the five name options to register it as a political party under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
She said that these alternatives were “unanimously approved by the members as being secular, inclusive, and fully compliant with the constitutional and statutory requirements governing the registration of political parties.”
In its reply, the ECI said it was permitting the use of the name Telangana Rakshana Sena. It said that Kavitha is required to publish a public notice about her association in the approved name for registration as a political party “in two national newspapers and two local newspapers of the state where the headquarters of the party is located, seeking to inform the general public that anyone having any objection to the proposed name may send their objection within one month.”
KCR floated the TRS in 2001 amid the Telangana statehood movement. He spoke of Telangana’s neglect in united Andhra Pradesh and promised water, funds, and jobs. In 2022, the TRS was renamed BRS with plans to expand to other parts of the country.
However, it subsequently faced major electoral losses in both the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections and the 2024 general election. A section of BRS leaders reportedly demanded that the party revert to its previous name. In their view, the party had distanced itself from its core ideals and lost its connection with the people after it dropped Telangana from its name.