HyderabadDecember 29, 2025 08:28 PM IST
First published on: Dec 29, 2025 at 08:27 PM IST
On Monday, when Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) chief and Telangana’s Leader of the Opposition K Chandrashekar Rao left his farmhouse for the Assembly, scores of supporters accompanied him. The former CM was on his way to make a rare appearance in the Assembly since the BRS lost power to the Congress in 2023.
The “return” of Rao, popularly known as KCR, to public limelight came at a crucial juncture for the party. The Congress put in a strong performance in the recent panchayat elections, claiming that it won 7,000 sarpanch seats across the state’s 31 districts. The state will soon head to municipal polls, which will be a litmus test for the Opposition party.
For two years, KCR kept away from the Assembly, even as his son and Sircilla MLA K T Rama Rao seemingly took over the mantle in the House while trying to keep the party flock together. Since the 2023 polls, the BRS has seen 10 of its 39 MLAs defect to the Congress.
A BRS leader said the optics of KCR’s public appearance, though fleeting, was important. “The energy he brings to the rank and file is of a different level. We are all thrilled whenever he makes a public appearance,” he said.
The former CM came in at 10.30 am, stood up and shook hands with CM A Revanth Reddy, one of his fiercest political rivals, and left shortly afterwards. “The CM asked him how his health was. He curtly replied, saying he was fine,” said a Congress leader who was on the sidelines.
Reddy has been targeting Rao for his prolonged absence from the House. “While we try to deal with the financial mess their government landed the state in, KCR is happily staying put at his farmhouse. If he is interested in the future of the state, the least he should do is attend the Assembly sessions,” Reddy said in the past.
Since the BRS’s defeat, the party has faced a string of setbacks. The biggest one came earlier this year after KCR’s daughter and MLC K Kavitha was suspended from the party. Kavitha had accused her brother of ignoring her and party MLAs who have been loyal to her. She also said KCR was “surrounded by demons” who misled him and lashed out at her cousin and Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao.
However, BRS leaders feel KCR’s presence helps “everyone around forget the past”. “He is a leader who sows a bright future for the BRS,” said one party functionary.
The Congress, however, dismissed KCR’s “re-entry”, with a senior leader saying, “We will not be affected by KCR’s presence or absence. The Congress government has the support of people and we are not bothered about anything else.”