Election Commission issues notice to Kavitha over 'TRS' party name
Hyderabad, July 4
The Election Commission of India has reportedly issued notices to K. Kavitha following objections over the use of the party name "TRS."
The development comes on Saturday after more than 1,100 complaints, including one reportedly filed by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), questioned the similarity between Kavitha's proposed party name and the former identity of BRS.
Kavitha had earlier announced Telangana Rashtra Sena (TRS) as the name of her new political party. However, the Election Commission is understood to have advised her to adopt a different name to avoid confusion with the erstwhile Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which was later renamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), according to a release.
Following the Commission's suggestion, Kavitha changed the party's name to Telangana Rakshana Sena. Despite this, the ECI has now issued notices after receiving over 1,100 complaints regarding the original proposed name.
Sources indicate that Kavitha is not willing to accept the Election Commission's position and is likely to challenge the matter legally instead of complying further with the Commission's advice.
The controversy has triggered political debate in Telangana, with opposition parties calling it an embarrassment for Kavitha, while her supporters maintain that the issue will be resolved through the legal process.
Earlier in April, the Election Commission officially granted the name Telangana Rakshana Sena (TRS) to the new political party launched by K Kavitha. The approval has been officially confirmed by the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
At the party's launch, Kavitha announced Telangana Rashtra Sena as the proposed name for the party; the ECI has approved Telangana Rakshana Sena, retaining the initials TRS. Her father and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had also launched Telangana Rashtra Samithi- 'TRS', before renaming the party to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
K Kavitha launched her party at the Advaya Convention in Medchal on April 25. The move came seven months after she parted ways with the BRS.
She wanted to retain the initials 'TRS' as she told ANI, "We have worked for this name for our lifetime. 20 years of our blood and sweat have gone into making TRS a successful party. We have achieved the state of Telangana."
Slamming her former party, BRS, and the ruling party, Congress, K Kavitha said that the aspirations of the youth and farmers were not fulfilled. She asserted that the newly launched TRS will work for the 50 per cent reservation for Other Backward Class Communities (OBCs).
"Unfortunately, after things took a wrong turn, the aspirations of the people of Telangana, the aspirations of the youth of Telangana, were never fulfilled. The aspirations of the farmers of Telangana were never fulfilled. Neither in the BRS's 10 years nor in the two years of Congress. So we will continuously work towards fulfilling these aspirations. TRS will be fundamentally a regional party. It will be focused 95 per cent on the regional issues. One of the core issues that I will fight for is the OBC 50 per cent reservation," she added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
If she wants to start a new party, she should come up with a new name that shows her own vision, not ride on her father's legacy. That said, the EC seems inconsistent - first they approve TRS, then issue a notice? Yet another naam ka jhamela in Telangana politics.
I understand her emotional attachment - 20 years of hard work building TRS. But the law is clear. 😕 She should respect the EC and not waste public money on legal battles. Focus on your promises for OBC reservations instead!
EC is just doing its job, no confusion should be created among voters. But opposition parties should focus on real issues like unemployment and farmer distress instead of making fun of a woman's political journey. 🙄
Respectfully, I think this is a little embarrassing for Kavitha. If she wanted to start fresh, why cling to the initials that remind everyone of her father's party? She should take the EC's advice and move on - Telangana needs new ideas, not recycled names.
I support her for keeping the TRS identity alive. 20 years of struggle for Telangana - that naam has so much history. The old party (BRS) betrayed that legacy by changing to Bharat name. Good for Kavitha for fighting! 👏
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