VOTERS ARE CLEARER IN THEIR MINDS THAN POLITICIANS AND POLITICAL PARTIES

AT FIRST SIGHT, Pragathi Bhavan, the official address of the Telangana chief minister in Hyderabad, radiates allure and authority in equal parts. One has to drive up a slope and pass a security barrier to reach the place. All the action, however, is in the building to the left. This is the office of K.T. Rama Rao, the state information technology minister and K. Chandrashekar Rao’s son, and is the gathering place of media and party workers as the state inches closer to elections.

KCR does not grant exclusive interviews, but KTR steps into those shoes with ease. He shifts easily between answering probing questions under the glare of lights and warmly welcoming new party members and posing for cameras.

In the past nine years in power, KTR has cultivated the image of a modern leader with an engaging and unfiltered tone.

Speaking candidly, he talks about how negativity thrives in today’s politics and how that affects the health of individuals. He then pitches for some unconventional and fun interviews, clearly bored of the mundane serious stuff. At lunch time, a sandwich from a nearby eatery is handed over to him. One glance and he starts chomping, breaking any notion of him following strict and fad diets.

KTR wears many hats—corporate maven, marketing hard-seller, witty comrade, regional political leader, and even a class monitor. When a video journalist’s voice grows too loud, he steps in to restore order. In a room filled with both Telugu- and English-speaking journalists, he switches between the two languages, using words that convey his intentions with clarity.

KTR’s oratory skill, infused with rebuttals, humour and catchphrases, has earned him admirers all over. His journey began 18 years ago when he arrived in Hyderabad with an MBA degree and a taste of American life. Immersing himself in the Telangana movement, he aced the life of politics and protest. He has since been a four-time MLA and held key portfolios such as IT and municipal administration. As the assembly elections approach, KTR opens up exclusively to THE WEEK, confident about his party’s triumph, responding to the opposition’s claims, and offering insights into the elections.