Kavitha gets EC nod for T’gana Rakshana Sena

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Former Telangana MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha’s newly-launched political party will be called ‘Telangana Rakshana Sena’, as opposed to the name — ‘Telangana Rashtra Sena’— she announced on April 25 during the party’s launch, according to Election Commission of India (ECI). Notably, the name that Kavitha announced was not among the five names proposed to the ECI seeking approval and registration. Kavitha gets EC nod for T’gana Rakshana SenaOn Thursday, the Telangana Jagruthi president received a communication from the ECI approving the name of her newly-launched political party as ‘Telangana Rakshana Sena’ (TRS) for registration. In a letter released by Kavitha’s office, an ECI official asked her to issue public notifications in two national and two local newspapers each, informing about the party name approved by the poll body. “Those who have any objections to the proposed party name may send their objections in writing to the ECI within 30 days. Final approval of the party’s name will be subject to the decision on the objections, if any, received by the commission. Registration will occur only after submitting the relevant documents to the commission, as per existing guidelines,” an ECI official said. On April 25, Kavitha declared her party name as ‘Telangana Rashtra Sena’ while announcing the launch of the political party, even before receiving approval from the ECI. According to a statement, the five proposed names were: Telangana Praja Jagruti, Telangana Jagruti, Telangana Rakshana Sena, Telangana Rashtra Jagruti and Telangana Praja Sakthi. Of these, the ECI approved Telangana Rakshana Sena. Taking to social media platform X, Kavitha said she had received a letter of approval for the ECI in person. “Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS), it is! We will relentlessly work to serve and protect the people of Telangana, as we have done in the last two decades as Telangana Jagruti,” she said. She said she would like to thank the ECI and commit to abiding by the rules and regulations. “In January 2026, following standard ECI protocol, we submitted five name choices, and the Election Commission has officially granted our third choice—the only one with the acronym TRS. Destiny, it seems, has a sense of irony,” Kavitha claimed. Kavitha, who announced her party’s name and agenda at an event on the city outskirts, sharply attacked the ruling Congress, BJP and BRS, describing her father as a “changed man” who has become “soulless”. The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), headed by her father, was originally named Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). However, it was renamed as BRS in 2022 following KCR’s ambitious plan to expand the party nationwide. Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.