B Bhaskar Rao, the former Bengaluru Police commissioner who was removed from the post after allegations of bribery against him in July 2020, has joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). On Monday, Bhaskar Rao joined AAP in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia.
Bhaskar Rao, a 1990 batch Karnataka cadre IPS officer from Bengaluru, has served in the Indian police force in various capacities for over 30 years. After allegations of bribery against him from the then Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka CN Ashwath Narayan, Rao was removed from the post of Additional Deputy General (ADG) police and Bengaluru Police Commissioner with immediate effect. He was then transferred to the Bengaluru division of internal security as the Additional Director General of Police in the Railways department.
In September 2021, Bhaskar Rao resigned from his post citing personal reasons. He formally left the office after the Karnataka Government accepted his resignation on Friday. On Monday, Rao joined Aam Aadmi Party in the presence of Manish Sisodia and other party leaders at the AAP National Headquarters in Delhi.
“I am very impressed with the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, looking at the administration of Delhi in last 6 to7 years. My mission is to bring the good governance of Arvind Kejriwal to south India, especially in Bengaluru.There’s no dearth of anything but quality leadership in Karnataka,” said Bhaskar Rao during the function.
Rao’s induction into AAP has come when the Greater Bengaluru Municipal Corporation (BBMP) elections are to be held later this year. According to sources, the party has already started preparing for the general assembly elections which are to be held next year. AAP hopes to make gains in the state by projecting the face of Bhaskar Rao, who has won several accolades during his long tenure in the Indian police force.