AAP’s Bhaskar Rao to join BJP?

Former Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao is likely to join the BJP, dealing a blow to the prospects of a fledgling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Rao, who resigned from the IPS and joined AAP in April last year, was recently appointed as the party’s manifesto committee chairperson. He is one of AAP’s prominent faces in Karnataka where the Arvind Kejriwal-led party wants to be a force to reckon with.

On Tuesday, Rao visited the BJP and held talks with the party's Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai, who is a co-incharge for the saffron unit's Karnataka election effort. Rao also met Revenue Minister R Ashoka. Rao was commissioner for transport and road safety between 2008 and 2011 when Ashoka was the transport minister. Rao has also held talks with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.

AAP was banking on Rao to be its candidate in the Basavanagudi Assembly constituency against BJP’s incumbent L A Ravi Subramanya and Congress MLC U B Venkatesh - all Brahmins.

Rao is said to be unhappy with AAP due to “stagnation” and “refusal to grow”.

Rao had joined AAP in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in April last year. His likely move to the BJP comes just days ahead of Kejriwal's rally at Davangere on March 4.