Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao

“Rao was born on February 17, 1954, in Chintamadaka village, which was part of Hyderabad State and is now in Telangana. He belongs to the Velama caste and grew up with nine sisters and one elder brother. Rao earned a Master’s degree in Telugu literature from Osmania University in Hyderabad.”

Political career:

Congress Party:

“Rao began his political career with the Youth Congress in Medak district. He supported Indira Gandhi following her loss in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections.

Independent Candidate:

In the 1983 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections, Rao ran as an independent candidate for the Siddipet Assembly constituency. He was defeated by Congress candidate Ananthula Madan Mohan, losing by a margin of 877 votes.

Telugu Desam Party:

After the 1983 election, Rao joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). He was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Siddipet in four consecutive elections (1985-1999). During this period, he served as the Minister of Drought and Relief in Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao’s cabinet from 1987 to 1988. In 1990, he was appointed as the TDP convener for the Medak, Nizamabad, and Adilabad districts. In 1996, he became the Transport Minister in Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu‘s cabinet. Additionally, he served as the Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from 2000 to 2001.

Jai Telangana movement:

On April 27, 2001, Rao resigned from the Telugu Desam Party and his position as Deputy Speaker, citing discrimination against the Telangana region and advocating for a separate state as the solution. On the same day, he founded the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Party, now known as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, at Jala Drushyam, Hyderabad, to pursue Telangana statehood.

The TRS joined the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government led by the Congress Party, and Rao was appointed as the Union Cabinet Minister for Labour and Employment. However, in 2006, the TRS withdrew from the coalition, citing the Alliance’s reluctance to support the formation of Telangana. Consequently, Rao resigned from his position as an MP.

In 2009, Rao won the Mahbubnagar Lok Sabha seat. In November 2009, he undertook a fast-unto-death to demand the introduction of the Telangana Bill in the Indian Parliament. After eleven days, the Central Government began the process of granting statehood to Telangana.

In 2014, Rao was elected as the MLA from Gajwel with a majority of 19,391 votes and as the MP from Medak with a majority of 397,029 votes on May 16, 2014.

During the elections, the TRS, which had spearheaded the movement for Telangana statehood for over a decade, emerged as the leading party in Telangana. The party won 1 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats and 63 of the 119 Assembly seats.

Foray into national politics:

In May 2019, ahead of the Indian general elections, Rao sought to establish the Federal Front in collaboration with leaders from other regional political parties. The Front aimed to create a non-Congress, non-BJP alliance for the Central Government of India.

In June 2022, Rao announced his intention to form a national party. On October 5, 2022, during Vijayadashami, he officially renamed his party to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) at a meeting of the party’s Executive Council.

Chief Minister of Telangana (2014–2023):

Rao was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Telangana on June 2, 2014. A firm believer in astrology, numerology, and vaastu, he scheduled his inauguration for 12:57 PM, based on the advice of priests who recommended this time to align with his lucky number, ‘six,’ as the sum of the digits at that time is six.

He was re-elected as TRS president eight times. In September 2018, Rao dissolved the Telangana Legislative Assembly nine months before its term ended, a strategic move widely regarded as a masterstroke. In December 2018, he was re-elected as Chief Minister for a second term after a decisive victory in the Telangana Legislative Assembly election.

Under Rao’s leadership, Telangana has seen significant economic and cultural development since its formation. His welfare programs are designed to boost the rural economy and focus on the advancement of each community. An extensive household survey, known as the Samagra Kutumba Survey (SKS), was conducted on August 19, 2014. This survey gathered data on 94 parameters from over 10.4 million households across the state to support the implementation of welfare programs.

Rao has actively promoted the revival of Telangana’s history, culture, and festivals. He declared Bathukamma, the traditional festival of flowers and Shakti, as a state festival. In 2017, Rao made Urdu the second official language of Telangana. His government also invested 1,200 crore in the expansion of the Yadadri temple.

The Rao administration is often described as populist due to its numerous welfare schemes. Key initiatives include the Aarogya Lakshmi scheme, launched on January 1, 2015, and the Double Bedroom Housing scheme, aimed at eradicating slums by providing free housing to the needy. Other notable programs include Kalyana Lakshmi – Shaadi Mubarak, which offers financial assistance to newlywed couples; Rythu Bandhu, which supports farmers; and the Aasara pension scheme, which provides pensions to senior citizens. On August 16, 2021, Rao also introduced the Dalit Bandu Scheme.

Post chief minister role (2024–present):

In the December 2023 Telangana Legislative Assembly elections, Rao contested from both the Gajwel and Kamareddy constituencies. He won from Gajwel by defeating Etela Rajender, a former party member, by a margin of 45,553 votes. However, in a notable contest for the Chief Minister’s seat, both Rao and Revanth Reddy were defeated in Kamareddy by BJP candidate K. V. Ramana Reddy. Following the defeat of his party, Rao resigned on December 3, 2023, and Revanth Reddy formed the new government.

On December 26, 2018, Rao had previously met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

After his defeat, Rao took on the role of Leader of the Opposition in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on December 16, 2023. In an effort to connect with a broader audience, he joined Twitter and Instagram on April 27, 2024, coinciding with his party’s 23rd anniversary. In June 2024, Rao declined an invitation from the Chief Minister to participate in state celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Telangana’s formation, choosing instead to attend his party’s own celebrations.

In the 2024 Indian general elections, Rao’s party failed to secure any seats, despite contesting all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana, compared to the 9 seats they had won in the previous elections.

Personal life:

Rao is married to Shobha and has two children. His son, K. T. Rama Rao, is a legislator from Sircilla and previously served as the Cabinet Minister for IT, Municipal Administration, and Urban Development in Telangana’s second assembly. His daughter, Kavitha, served as an MP from Nizamabad and is currently a Member of the Legislative Council for Nizamabad. His nephew, Harish Rao, is the MLA from Siddipet and served as Telangana’s Finance Minister in the second assembly. Rao is proficient in Telugu, English, Urdu, and Hindi. He resides with his family at their farmhouse in Erravelli, Medak district.

In 2015, Rao adopted Pratyusha, a victim of domestic violence. She was married in 2020.

In December 2023, Rao suffered a hip fracture following a fall at his farmhouse in Erravelli. He was treated at Yashoda Hospitals in Hyderabad and was discharged after a week.

Awards:

• Popular Choice Award at CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2014
• Agricultural Leadership Award 2017
• Economic Times Awards – Business Reformer of the Year 2018