Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao, popularly referred to as KCR, has been the sitting chief minister of Telangana since June 2014. The 69-year-old Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader was sworn in as the first chief minister of Telangana on June 2, 2014, as it was separated from Andhra Pradesh. KCR played a leading role in the struggle for a separate Telangana and has served as the president of his party, BRS, eight times in a row.
KCR's background and family
Kalvakuntla Chandrashekhar Rao was born to Raghava Rao and Venkatamma in Chintamadaka village in Medak district (currently in Siddipet district) on February 17, 1954. KCR has nine sisters and one elder brother. He has a master's degree in Telugu literature from Osmania University, Hyderabad. He married K Shobha on April 23, 1969, and is father to K T Rama Rao and Kalvakuntla Kavitha.
His son, K T Rama Rao (KTR), is a Member of the Telangana Legislative Assembly from Siricilla. He is also the working president of the TRS and minister for IT, Industry, and Commerce.
KCR's daughter, K Kavitha, is also active in Telangana state politics. Currently, she is a sitting member of the Telangana Legislative Council. Earlier, she represented the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency from 2014-19. She lost her seat to BJP candidate D Arvind in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
KCR's early political career
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KCR began his political journey as a Youth Congress member from Medak district in 1970. Later, he joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1983. Two years after joining the TDP, KCR was elected to the Andhra Pradesh Assembly as MLA from Siddipet constituency. He was a part of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly from 1985 to 2004.
As a key leader in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, KCR was Minister of State in the Government of Andhra Pradesh during 1987-88. He served as a Cabinet Minister during 1997-99. KCR also served as the Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly during 1999-2001.
KCR's role in the formation of the Telangana state
A firm believer in a separate state of Telangana, KCR resigned from the post of Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly on April 27, 2001. He also quit TDP at the same time. He launched a new party called Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) (Presently known as the Bharat Rashtra Samithi) with the single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital.
In November 2009, KCR announced to fast unto death, demanding the creation of the state of Telangana. Following this, the Union Home Minister announced that Telangana's formation process has been initiated.
KCR was able to gather support from the Indian National Congress and bring NDA into confidence on Telangana's statehood agenda. In the run-up to the 2009 General Elections in India, most political parties in Andhra Pradesh supported the idea of the formation of Telangana.
Finally, KCR's push towards forming a Telangana state started becoming a reality as the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution to recommend the formation of a separate Telangana state on July 30, 2013.
Subsequently, in February 2014, Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 bill was passed by the Parliament of India, leading to the birth of Telangana, comprising ten districts from north-western Andhra Pradesh.
The first chief minister of Telangana
In the 2014 Assembly elections, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won a majority under the leadership of KCR in the House with 63 of the 119 Assembly seats. Along with winning a majority in the House, TRS also secured the largest vote share in the 2014 elections, and KCR took oath as the first chief minister of the new state of Telangana on June 2, 2014.
In the last Telangana Assembly elections held in 2018, TRS repeated its victory with an even larger share in the Telangana Assembly as it won 88 out of 119 seats in the state. Subsequently, KCR was sworn in as the state's chief minister for a second straight term on December 13, 2018. KCR is an MLA from the Gajwel constituency of Siddipet district in Telangana.
Earlier, KCR has also served as the MLA from Siddipet (in the undivided Andhra Pradesh). He has also served as a Member of Parliament from Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, and Medak Lok Sabha constituencies.
Astrology, numerology, and rituals
KCR is known for his strong beliefs in various rituals, which many would call superstitious. Addressing an election rally, PM Narendra Modi called KCR superstitious and stated, "He believes in astrology, poojas, 'nimbu – Mirch".
Responding to this, KCR did not shy away from this and said, "So what? How are you affected by my beliefs? What is your loss if I perform poojas? I will perform ten yagnas a year. I am a believer. What is your worry?"
KCR is reported to time the announcement of key government policies according to the principles of astrology.
Welfare politics
Dominated by multiple welfare schemes, KCR's style of governance has been described as being populist. As part of his election campaigns, KCR's party has announced several welfare schemes that benefit the people.
Among the major schemes, BRS announced the Aarogya Lakshmi scheme on January 1, 2015, which aims to raise the nutrition level of pregnant and lactating women in Telangana. The Scheme benefits more than 271,000 pregnant and 203,000 lactating women.
Apart from this, KCR launched the Double Bedroom Housing scheme or 2BHK scheme to eradicate Hyderabad's slums by providing free-of-cost housing to slum-dwellers in rural and urban areas.
KCR has also launched the Aasara pension scheme in Telangana, which aims to support the vulnerable sections of society, including the old, disabled, and widows, among others.
Telangana elections 2023
The current Telangana Assembly completes its term in January 2024 and will likely go to polls in December 2023. Telangana has 119 assembly seats. The state also has a legislative council with 40 seats. KCR has announced his candidature for the upcoming state assembly elections. He will be contesting two constituencies: Gajwel and Kamareddy.