[12] On 27 April 2001, Rao resigned from the Telugu Desam Party, leaving his position of Deputy Speaker.

TRS was part of the United Progressive Alliance coalition government, led by Congress.

[23] In November 2009, he started a hunger strike, demanding the introduction of the Telangana Bill in the Indian Parliament.

Eleven days later, the Central Government initiated the process to grant Telangana statehood.

[26] In May 2019, ahead of the 2019 Indian general election, Rao attempted to set up Federal Front along with leaders of other regional political parties.

The Front's aim was to bring a non-Congress, non-BJP alliance to power at the Central Government of India.

Rao, a staunch believer in astrology, numerology and vaastu, is reported to have fixed 12:57 PM for his inauguration as per the advice of priests to suit his lucky number 'six', since the sum of the digits is 'fifteen' and '1+5=6.

[31] In September 2018, he dissolved the Telangana Legislative Assembly, nine months before its term ends to go for an early election.

[32][33] In December 2018, he was re-elected as Chief Minister for the second term, after winning the 2018 Telangana Legislative Assembly election by a big margin.

His welfare programs are aimed at reviving the rural economy and are focused on the development of each community.

[49][50][51] After his defeat to the Indian National Congress, he submitted his resignation on 3 December 2023 and Revanth Reddy formed the new ministry.

[52] KCR took on a new role as leader of the opposition in the Telangana Legislative Assembly after his defeat, on 16 December 2023.

[53] Rao, who had previously stayed off social media, joined X (Twitter) and Instagram on 27 April 2024, coinciding with his party's 23rd anniversary in an attempt to reach more people.

He has credited Gandhism, the teachings and ideas of Mahatma Gandhi, for inspiring him to follow a non-violent approach in his demands during the Telangana movement.

[71] Rao is follower of Sri Vaishnavism of Ramanuja, an ardent devotee of his guru Chinna Jeeyar and a strong believer of Hinduism and spirituality.

[72] To heighten spiritual consciousness, KCR initiated the reconstruction and renovation of significant temples across Telangana, including Yadadri, Kondagattu, and Vemulawada, among others.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has come out with a damning report on the project in Feb 2024, which says it was economically unviable from the start and details the massive cost overruns, possible undue benefits accrued to contractors for the supply and commissioning of pumps, motors, etc., and the poor planning involved.

The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) found that the Medigadda barrage is severely compromised, rendering it useless unless fully renovated.