KCR's once-formidable charisma has all but vanished in Telangana

Politics is strewn with examples of the downfall of great political leaders. It is well-known that the charisma and magical pull of political leaders doesn’t last forever and fades with time.

Their appeal wanes, their speeches lose impact, and they start relying on prepared scripts. Their words no longer inspire, and crowds turn restless and disinterested.

Though lakhs of people turn up for their events, the audience slowly do the unthinkable for the leader: they start jeering, booing, and showing clear signs of boredom.

This is precisely what happened to K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), during the party’s silver jubilee celebrations on April 27, at Elkathurthy, in Telangana's Hanumakonda district. The party too seems to have lost its lustre.

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One dominant voice

The BRS, which was born 25 years ago as the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), marked the occasion of their silver anniversary with a massive event. Lakhs of people were transported from across the state for the event.

Yet, in this grand gathering, only KCR's voice was heard. No other leader was given the opportunity to speak.

Even to welcome him, it was left to Errabelli Dayakar Rao — a Telugu Desam Party defector to TRS — to do the honours. There was no scope to discuss the party’s 25-year journey, exposing the lack of democracy within the organisation.

Erosion of democracy

Ironically, in his speech, KCR lamented the erosion of democracy in the state, the silencing of dissent, and excessive police interference.

Over the course of an hour, there were no new messages, no fresh ideas, no programme announcements and no inspiring calls to action. KCR’s speech felt dull and mechanical, and the crowd’s impatience was visible. Several times, he had to urge them to calm down.

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People had come to the venue because buses were arranged, tents were set up, and refreshments like water and buttermilk were provided.

There was no real enthusiam among them for the party and for the milestone function they were part of. Some did say KCR would be Chief Minister again, however, the slogans seemed staged and false.

Where did the magic go?

No leader in Telugu politics, however, has managed to retain their "magic" indefinitely.

The concept of a charismatic leader first emerged in the state with the actor-turned-politician NT Rama Rao (NTR) in the 1980s. Before him, Congress had great orators but no charismatic mass leaders. Even among the communists, there were many brilliant speakers but they somehow lacked statewide appeal.

The Congress thrived on the magic of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi. But it never truly produced magnetic regional leaders.

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NTR changed everything in 1982 with the launch of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), ushering in a revolution in political communication and connecting deeply with the masses. He was a natural crowd-puller and his meetings did not require elaborate logistical arrangements.

NTR: Oratory magician

NTR ensured his speeches were laden with emotional and poetic power, turning politics into a dramatic art form. People thronged to his rallies just to hear him. He shook the Congress's foundations in Andhra Pradesh, and despite brief comebacks, Congress never recovered its old glory. Yet, even NTR's magic eventually faded.

In 1995, internal rebellion led to his ouster, but there was no massive public outrage. His political journey ended quietly and uneventfully.

The TDP that emerged became a very different party, surviving mainly through alliances, defections, and tactical manoeuvres.

YSR: A different kind of magic

In the interim, YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) demonstrated a different kind of charm (2004–09). Though lacking NTR’s flamboyance, he had a unique ability to connect with the people, pioneering innovative welfare schemes that resonated widely.

His plainspoken demeanour and humility only strengthened his appeal. YSR’s popularity forced KCR to temporarily retreat from the Telangana movement.

Only after YSR’s untimely death and the uninspired leadership of Konijeti Rosaiah and Kiran Kumar Reddy did KCR find the momentum to rebuild himself and the Telangana movement.

Strategic moves like hunger strikes, mass resignations, and the launch of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) breathed new life into the movement, eventually leading to the creation of Telangana in 2014.

Decline of magnetic political leaders

After Telangana’s formation, the TRS — and later the BRS — mirrored the TDP's later years: winning elections through dominance and political games rather than genuine connection.

KCR’s sharpness faded; sarcasm replaced substance. He became increasingly isolated, speaking mainly from his farmhouse or palatial residences.

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Although massive welfare schemes covered up some of these cracks, KCR’s innate political magnetism quietly eroded. His second electoral victory came more from the absence of strong opponents than renewed public enthusiasm.

However, challenges emerged midway through his second term. BJP’s Bandi Sanjay and Congress’ Revanth Reddy energised Telangana politics with fiery rhetoric that matched KCR’s style. Political discourse descended into personal insults and vulgar exchanges.

KCR, once a mesmerising orator, became a pathetic figure as he was increasingly mocked. His speeches lost their sharpness, their fire and became predictable, and fodder for social media satire.

The crushing defeats in 2023 and 2024 reflected this downfall vividly.

A painful fall

KCR even lost in Kamareddy — the second constituency he contested from. The defeat hit hard enough that he now hesitates to even step foot in the Assembly. Once envisioning himself as a towering leader above politics, the voters humbled him, reducing him to just another MLA.

Just two days before the Elkathurthi rally, his son KT Rama Rao’s odd announcement — that KCR would re-enter the Assembly as Chief Minister — came across as desperate, further damaging and denting KCR’s stature.

In the current rally, when KCR spoke about democracy and police excesses, the audience couldn’t shake off the fact that he too had encouraged defections, scrapped Dharna Chowk, jailed Professor Kodandaram, and made ministers and MLAs wait endlessly for appointments. His halo had dimmed.

A missed opportunity

There were expectations that KCR would announce a new roadmap for BRS at the rally. But instead, he delivered a monotonous speech, praising his own government’s record of creating "Golden Telangana" — a claim starkly contradicted by voters who handed over the reins of power to the Congress.

KCR struggled to criticise the new Congress government effectively. He couldn’t even mention Revanth Reddy by name. Even when he accused the Congress of selling off lands — Hyderabad University today, Osmania tomorrow — he immediately weakened his own argument, justifying that selling land was acceptable when needed, exposing his past practices.

Activists like Kaneganti Ravi pointed out that both the previous KCR government and the current Congress government follow the same anti-farmer, land-grabbing policies.

Indeed, slogans like "If the car (BRS symbol) comes, lands are lost" had gained traction. Fears of land grabs through initiatives like Dharani and municipal master plans had deeply unsettled rural communities, playing a decisive role in electoral defeats like Kamareddy.

Missing spark

Despite spending crores of rupees to gather crowds, KCR couldn’t reignite enthusiasm. The raw pain of defeat was still too fresh. His attacks on the Congress didn’t resonate, given his long history of alliance with them and his praises of Sonia Gandhi in the past.

None of KCR’s points at the rally struck a chord. His speech lacked sharpness, energy, and originality.

Ultimately, KCR’s once-formidable magical mass appeal seemed to have all but vanished.

Was it destined to fade after just 20 years? Did the curtain fall with 2023? Or, is there one final act still hidden and is yet to surface?

This article was originally published in The Federal Telangana.