K Kavitha: From Beloved Telangana ‘Bidda’ to Rebel in Her Father’s Party
Kalvakuntla Kavitha’s journey in public life began after she returned from the United States, where she completed her Master’s degree in computer sciences. In 2004, she moved back to Hyderabad and, by 2006, became active in the agitation for a separate Telangana.
She founded Telangana Jagruthi, an NGO aimed at mobilising youth and women by reviving cultural pride. The Bathukamma flower festival, which she promoted on a large scale, soon became a unifying symbol of Telangana’s identity. Kavitha frequently presented this as proof that she had left behind the comforts of life abroad to serve her homeland. Supporters embraced that narrative, while critics argued it was more a political positioning than pure sacrifice.
Her grassroots presence, often seen in traditional attire, endeared her to many who called her the “Telangana bidda” (daughter of Telangana). This image, combined with her father K. Chandrashekar Rao’s leadership of the movement, placed her firmly at the centre of the cultural front of Telangana statehood.
Cultural Icon and Political Heir
By the time Telangana was formed in 2014, Kavitha had already become one of the most recognisable faces of the agitation. Fluent in English, Telugu and Urdu, she was also the most prominent woman in the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS, later renamed BRS).
That same year, she contested her first election from Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency, describing herself as “Nizamabad’s bahu (daughter-in-law)” since her husband hailed from the region. Riding the Telangana wave, she won by a massive margin of over 1.6 lakh votes.
In Parliament, Kavitha built a reputation as an active MP and was recognised with awards for her performance. Within Telangana, she was widely considered the most powerful woman in politics, second only to her father. Observers noted that KCR, as chief minister, kept other ambitious leaders in check and ensured Kavitha remained the lone woman representative at the highest levels of the party.
Triumphs and Turmoil in Politics
The years between 2014 and 2018 marked the peak of Kavitha’s political influence. She channelled her clout to push developmental projects and cultivated an image of a hardworking public representative. Yet discontent brewed beneath the surface.
Farmers in Nizamabad grew restless as Kavitha’s promise to secure a Turmeric Board did not materialise. The long-closed Nizam Sugar Factory remained shut, despite campaign assurances. Critics accused her of becoming inaccessible to local people. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she faced a surprise defeat at the hands of BJP’s Dharmapuri Aravind, losing by about 70,000 votes.
The setback punctured the aura of invincibility surrounding the KCR family. For months, Kavitha kept a low profile before returning to active politics as an MLC from Nizamabad in 2020. She resumed attacking the BJP-led Centre, particularly over policies she argued harmed Telangana’s interests, such as coal mine auctions and fuel price hikes.
Scandal and a Sojourn in Jail
Kavitha’s resurgence was interrupted by one of the most challenging phases of her life. In 2022, BJP leaders alleged that she was linked to the Delhi liquor policy scam, a case under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI. Kavitha dismissed the charges as politically motivated. “I had no role in it. They have made sweeping allegations and put the burden of proof on me,” she told media then.
Despite her denials, the agencies pressed ahead. She was questioned by the CBI in Hyderabad in December 2022. On March 15, 2024, ED officers arrested her at her Hyderabad residence, and later the CBI also took her into custody while she was in Tihar Jail.
For five months, KCR’s daughter remained behind bars. She later described it as an emotionally draining period, especially being separated from her children. Yet when the Supreme Court granted her bail in August 2024, she emerged defiant. “Only because of politics, I was put behind bars. I made no mistake,” she said. Crowds of supporters greeted her release with drumbeats and firecrackers. “We are fighters… we will fight it out legally and politically,” she declared, presenting herself as both a victim of political vendetta and a determined leader.
The Letter Bomb and Brewing Feud
In early 2025, BRS was out of power in Telangana after Congress leader A. Revanth Reddy became Chief Minister. In this changed climate, Kavitha wrote a candid six-page letter to her father KCR, offering feedback on where the party had faltered.
She questioned why KCR’s speeches did not target the BJP more sharply and flagged that party workers were losing faith. “You should have targeted the BJP some more, Daddy,” she wrote. In a pointed remark, she warned that “KCR is god, but some devils have surrounded him.”
The letter, once leaked, caused ripples within the party. When Kavitha returned from a US trip later that month, no senior BRS leaders were present at the airport to receive her. Instead, it was her Telangana Jagruthi supporters who turned up. She demanded to know who had leaked her letter and accused “coverts” of trying to weaken the party from within.
At the same time, she denied speculation of leaving BRS or floating a new party. “I have no intention to float a new political party. KCR remains my leader,” she insisted.
Most Loved Daughter Turns Rebel
The rift escalated dramatically in August 2025, when the Congress government ordered a CBI probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. Kavitha, in an extraordinary press conference, turned her guns on her cousin and former irrigation minister Harish Rao, as well as MP J. Santosh Kumar.
“Harish Rao… does he not have a role in this? He is responsible for the allegations which are being levelled against KCR now,” she charged. Kavitha accused her cousins of amassing wealth through irregularities in the project, insisting her father was clean and uninterested in money. “For me, he is not just my father, he is like God,” she said, visibly emotional.
Her words crossed a red line in party discipline. By that evening, her official PRO and personal assistant were removed from BRS communication groups, signalling her isolation.
Suspension and Aftermath
On September 2, 2025, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi announced Kavitha’s suspension. The statement said her “recent behaviour and ongoing anti-party activities” were damaging the party, and that party president KCR had approved the decision.
For Kavitha, it was a dramatic fall from grace. From being KCR’s most trusted daughter, who once personified the cultural front of the Telangana movement, she had become a rebel suspended from the very party she helped shape.
Even after her suspension, Kavitha maintained that her fight was not against her father but against those who surrounded him. She emphasised she had no intention of joining the BJP or floating a separate party. “My only concern is to protect my party – BRS – from coverts within,” she said.
Whether this is a temporary estrangement or the start of an independent political path remains uncertain. But her journey — from the cultural face of Telangana, to MP and MLC, to a prisoner in Tihar, and now a suspended rebel — is a rare political arc. For many in Telangana, Kavitha is still the “bidda” who embodied their movement. For her party, she is today a reminder of how quickly family loyalty can turn into open dissent.
