HYDERABAD: As expected, the suspension of Kalvakuntla Kavitha from the BRS has set off a wave of speculation in state political circles. The daughter of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, once considered a natural inheritor of his political legacy, now stands outside the party fold. The question haunting political circles is simple but loaded: What will Kavitha do next?
For months, Kavitha had been pushing against the boundaries of the party. A leaked letter to her father in May, where she accused him of being surrounded by “devils”, marked the beginning of her open rebellion.
She sharpened her attack after the state government ordered a CBI probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, directly naming her cousin and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao and former MP J Santosh Kumar as responsible for the corruption taint around KCR. Her description of MLA G Jagadish Reddy as a “Lilliput” only deepened the rift.
The party leadership, after rounds of internal consultations, chose to suspend her. Sources close to the decision said KCR wanted to send a message that no one, not even his daughter, is above party discipline. But the fallout of this decision has now created a vacuum filled with intrigue.
Will she quit as MLC?
Within hours of the announcement, speculation turned towards Kavitha’s possible resignation from the Council and the party’s primary membership. The more pressing question is where she will go from here. Will she carve out her own space by transforming Telangana Jagruthi into a political outfit, or will she align with an existing force?
Those close to her said she has cultivated contacts across the political spectrum. “She has friends in Delhi in both the Congress and BJP circles. Invitations have come to her in the past. But she has not acted on them,” one associate claimed. According to another, one party even offered her a Rajya Sabha berth from another state, promising prominence in its Telangana unit where it lacked a strong voice. She declined, the source claimed.
Yet the possibility of her launching a new party is being debated in hushed tones. Political observers say that running a party against entrenched players like the Congress, BJP and BRS requires more than popularity, it demands resources, networks and a steady cadre. Whether Kavitha can muster such strength is uncertain, but her ability to disrupt equations is not in doubt.
Focus on Jagruthi
Some suggest she may buy time by focusing on cultural and social programmes through Telangana Jagruthi for the next year before making a definitive move. Others argue that delay would only dilute the momentum she has gained since her suspension.
What is clear is that her exit has unsettled the BRS and altered the political conversation in Telangana. For a party still reeling from its electoral defeats, the loss of its president’s daughter to rebellion and suspension is no small matter.
For Kavitha, the road ahead is fraught with risk but also possibility. Every move she makes will be watched not just in Telangana, but in Delhi as well. The suspense over her future has turned into a political drama that is only beginning to unfold.