Former AP CM Nadendla Bhaskar Rao Passes Away at 90

Hyderabad: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nadendla Bhaskar Rao passed away at the age of 90 on Wednesday. He breathed his last while undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at a private hospital in Hyderabad.Bhaskar Rao entered the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1978 and served as a minister in the cabinet of then Chief Minister M. Chenna Reddy. He later played a key role in the formation of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and was regarded as one of its co-founders and a mentor to party founder N.T. Rama Rao.Following the TDP’s historic victory in the 1983 Assembly elections, he served as Finance Minister in NTR’s cabinet. However, in August 1984, Bhaskar Rao led a political coup against NTR while the latter was in the United States for medical treatment, taking over as Chief Minister with the support of Congress (I) and a faction within the TDP.After NTR’s return, he launched a nationwide “Save Democracy” movement, drawing support from several opposition parties. The Centre eventually intervened, leading to the recall of the Governor and the reinstatement of NTR as Chief Minister after Bhaskara Rao resigned. This remains a rare instance in Indian political history where a dismissed Chief Minister was reinstated.Subsequently expelled from the TDP, Bhaskara Rao joined Congress (I) along with his supporters. He was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha from Khammam constituency in 1998 on a Congress ticket.After years of political inactivity, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in July 2019 in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a public meeting near Hyderabad.



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