News Headlines
Bhaskar Rao
In the run-up to the state assembly election in Karnataka, former Bengaluru city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao today (March 1) quit Aam Aadmi Party and joined the ruling BJP.
Rao’s decision to quit AAP represents a massive setback to the party as it comes days ahead of national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to Karnataka on March 4 to address a rally in Davanagere.
A Karnataka cadre IPS officer, Rao retired voluntarily to join the AAP in April last year. Before joining AAP, speculations were rife among political circles in the state that he was set to join the opposition Congress and would be fielded as a candidate in an assembly segment in south Bengaluru.
The former top cop was among the prominent personalities that the Kejriwal-led party was banking on to create an impact in the state. He was widely expected to be fielded as the party’s candidate in the city’s Basavanagudi or Malleswaram assembly segment.
Though he was recently appointed as AAP’s manifesto committee chairperson, speculations were rife that Rao was unhappy with the turn of events in the party over the last few years. Rao
On Tuesday, Rao met BJP’s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai, who is currently entrusted with running the party’s electoral campaign in the state.
Rao later met senior BJP leader and Minister R Ashoka. Rao served as transport and road safety commissioner between 2008 and 2011 when Ashoka was the transport minister. Rao also held a meeting with Union Minister Prahalad Joshi.
“I was thinking of changing the party since January and, after a lot of discussions, decided to join the BJP. I have not asked for any post or anything. I will work in the party as a worker,” Rao told the media.
“Keeping in mind the eminent leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I have decided to join the party where there is scope for opportunity and aspirations”, he said.
Rao served as the commissioner of police for Bengaluru between August 2019 and 2020. He gained prominence for tough policing when the lockdown was enforced to combat the spread of coronavirus. Rao also courted controversy as he clashed with senior BJP leader and then Deputy CM Aswath Narayan.
When Rao submitted his VRS application, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai attempted to convince him to reconsider his decision, but the state government eventually processed his request.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest