For now, Rao's presumption that he could emerge as a national leader by rebranding his party stretches credulity. At the moment, the TRS is a Telangana outfit: Even if it wins all the Lok Sabha seats in its stronghold, it will have a total of 17 MPs. On Wednesday afternoon, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao announced that his party, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), will henceforth be known as Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). The decline of the Congress has left a vacuum in the ranks of the national Opposition and the BRS is evidently trying to step into the space that has opened up. The transformation of TRS to BRS marks an audacious attempt by a regional party to shed its provincial character and launch itself as a pan-Indian party. But this is easier said than done.
For now, Rao’s presumption that he could emerge as a national leader by rebranding his party stretches credulity. At the moment, the TRS is a Telangana outfit: Even if it wins all the Lok Sabha seats in its stronghold, it will have a total of 17 MPs. Moreover, the rebranding may hurt the original brand of the TRS. Rao, who was a middle-level functionary in Congress and the TDP, rose to prominence by investing in the cause for Telangana. He broke away from Congress and launched the TRS to capitalise on his leadership role in the struggle for a new state. It has paid him handsome dividends — the TRS has won consecutive assembly elections after the formation of Telangana state with enhanced majorities. By championing regional pride, it has come to dominate all political institutions in the state. However, Rao’s record in office has been uninspiring: He has been a populist CM, whose tenure has been marked by controversial decisions — the expensive renovation of the Yadadri temple, making of a new secretariat and a bullet-proof CM’s official residence, among them. Like many regional outfits, Rao has reduced the TRS into a family fief. In short, the TRS lacks a distinctive political or governance model to offer nationally.
In 2018, Rao promoted a federal front with Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. More recently, he met the CMs of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Delhi. He has also reached out to farmers, trade unions and civil society groups. Rao’s national outreach has elements of a federal pushback in the time of an overreaching Centre. However, without a national organisation or a credible and resonant counter narrative to the BJP’s pitch, he may find it hard to realise his dream.