On Sunday (24th March), Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) RKS Bhadauria joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). During the induction press meet, the party’s General Secretary Vinod Tawde presented him with the certificate of primary membership. Union Minister Anurag Thakur was also present at the event.
#WATCH | Former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) RKS Bhadauria joins BJP in the presence of party General Secretary Vinod Tawde and Union Minister Anurag Thakur. pic.twitter.com/n3s9k7INmf
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2024
The former armed forces veteran, Bhadauria, is making his foray into politics nearly two-and-a-half years after retiring from his post in the armed forces. He served as the 23rd Air Force Chief from 30th September 2019 to 30th September 2021.
He is a resident of the Bah tehsil of Agra district. According to media reports, he may contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh. As per reports citing sources, BJP may field him from Western Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad or Meerut Lok Sabha constituency.
Notably, he is credited for the induction of Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force fleet. As deputy chief in India’s negotiations with France, he played a major role in clinching the deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets. Additionally, he was among the first Indian Air Force officers to fly a Rafale fighter jet. Consequently, a Rafale trainer aircraft that India received from France in September 2019 bore the initials “RB01” on its tail, named after RKS Bhadauria.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that his name may come up in the final list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. On Saturday, the party’s third Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting was held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top party leaders including President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath.
