Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and Bengaluru resident B Bhaskar Rao joined the Aam Aadmi Party here on Monday. Rao, a 1990 batch of Karnataka cadre, has served in the police force for 32 years. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said on his arrival that seeing AAP’s work in Delhi and Punjab, new energy has been awakened in the country. After the victory of Punjab, on the call of Arvind Kejriwal ji, Bhaskar Rao left the police job and joined AAP.
Bhaskar Rao was working as Additional Director General of Police (Railways). He had resigned from the service in September last year citing personal reasons. The Karnataka government accepted his resignation and relieved him, after which he joined the AAP. Bhaskar has been the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, State Transport Commissioner and Additional Director General of Police during his service in the police.
Experts say that Bhaskar Rao joining AAP can prove to be good for AAP, as Arvind Kejriwal is preparing for the assembly elections to be held in Karnataka next year. AAP is also likely to contest in the Bangalore Municipal Corporation elections to be held this year.
AAP leaders believe that the popularity of the former IPS officer will help the party in the assembly elections in the state. AAP had contested the Karnataka Assembly elections for the first time in 2018, fielding candidates on 28 of the total 124 assembly seats, but the party could not win a single seat. It is believed that due to no local face, Kejriwal’s party could not perform well in the then elections. This factor was also seen in Punjab. But making Bhagwant Mann the face of CM was favorable for you.
On Bhaskar Rao’s joining Manish Sisodia was accompanied by AAP’s Karnataka unit convener Prithvi Reddy, state election in-charge and Timarpur MLA in Delhi Dilip Pandey, organization secretary Damodaran were present at the party headquarters.