ECI notifies objections to the TRS acronym of Kavitha’s party and seeks a new name

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has written to the Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) to change the party’s name and submit alternative names in view of the objections raised by several other outfits with similar names over the acronym.

TRS founder Kalvakuntla Kavitha has apparently received two objections raised with the ECI, and the party has been asked to submit three names within 15 days. The party’s application for registration may be closed if there was no response within the stipulated time.

However, sources said the TRS chief K Kavitha has sent the reply as sought, rebutting the objections raised. The party claimed that one of the objections was from the Telangana Rajya Samiti (TRS), registered by a person from Siddipet who is reportedly close to BRS MLA T. Harish Rao.

The particular party registered the name in 2022 but has not contested in any election so far, the reply to the ECI said. So the objections don’t hold water against the Telangana Rakshana Sena, which is active in public life, taking up people’s issues.

Another objection was from a party named TRS in Maharashtra, but it has not been active in politics. Ms. Kavitha’s TRS argued that the objection is ridiculous, as that particular party is neither active in Telangana nor related to Telangana politics.

The TRS, in its reply to the ECI, has also asked why only two objections were forwarded to it seeking a reply and questioning why it had been asked to change the party’s name without being informed about the remaining objections.

Ms. Kavitha announced the launch of her political party, Telangana Rashtra Sena, but later officially launched it as Telangana Rakshana Sena after leaving the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which was renamed from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) started by her father and BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao.

During the registration process, Ms. Kavitha submitted five names to the ECI — Telangana Praja Jagruthi, Telangana Jagruthi, Telangana Rakshana Sena, Telangana Rashtra Jagruthi, and Telangana Praja Shakthi.

The ECI accepted Telangana Rakshana Sena with the condition that final approval would be given only if there were no objections to the name.

Stakes high for TRS acronym

The political tussle over the iconic TRS acronym, synonymous with the Telangana statehood movement and long associated with former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, has resurfaced with the ECI’s fresh notice.

The acronym TRS became popular after KCR founded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in 2001 to spearhead the movement for a separate Telangana State.

After Telangana was formed in 2014, the party remained TRS until October 2022, when KCR renamed it as BRS with an ambition to expand beyond Telangana and play a larger role in national politics.

Because of its two-decade association with the Telangana statehood movement, the acronym TRS continues to evoke the same sentiment, and Ms. Kavitha chose to name her new party as Telangana Rakshana Sena with the same acronym TRS.

Ms. Kavitha has been arguing that the present BRS has no right to claim the TRS acronym, as it decided to leave the Telangana legacy behind and change its name.