Former AP CM Nadendla Bhaskar Rao Passes Away at 90

He breathed his last while being treated 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 the then Chief Minister M. Chenna Reddy. He later played a key role in the formation of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and is considered one of the founders of the party and the mentor of party founder NT Rama Rao.

After TDP’s historic victory in the 1983 Assembly elections, he served as Finance Minister in the NTR cabinet. However, in August 1984, while Bhaskar Rao was in the United States for medical treatment to NTR, he led a political coup against him while taking over as Prime Minister with the support of the Congress(I) and a faction within the TDP.

Following NTR’s return, he launched a nationwide “Save Democracy” movement and received support from many opposition parties. The Center eventually intervened, leading to the recall of the Governor and the reinstatement of NTR as Chief Minister following the resignation of Bhaskara Rao. This remains a rare example in Indian political history of a dismissed prime minister being reinstated.

Bhaskara Rao, who was later expelled from TDP, joined Congress (I) along with his supporters. In 1998, he was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha from Khammam constituency 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.