Hyderabad: An unexpected dark horse has entered the Vijayawada mayoral race, disrupting the usual two-way contest between the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the NDA. Former Director General of Police (Intelligence) AB Venkateswara Rao, known for his years-long legal battles with the Jagan Mohan Reddy government, is contesting as an Independent candidate.
Popularly known as ABV, the retired 1989-batch IPS officer has the backing of three parties—the CPI, CPI(M) and Congress—which have withdrawn their candidates to jointly support him.
Unlike his opponents—Jana Sena Party’s Vangaveeti Radha Mohan Rao (Jr) and incumbent mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi of the YSRCP—who come from political backgrounds, Rao’s electoral gamble follows three decades in public service in Andhra Pradesh.
Rao holds an MTech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and a postgraduate degree in Economics. Besides serving as the state’s Intelligence Chief, he was Commissioner of Printing and Stationery. He also contributed to UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo, earning a UN Medal.
After retiring from service, Rao joined the Centre for Liberty (CFL), an independent public policy think tank, in 2024 and was named its Chairman.
Although he registered a political party with the Election Commission of India, Rao has yet to make a formal announcement. He previously said he would announce the party’s credentials after completing the necessary organisational and financial processes.
In media interactions and posts on X and Instagram, Rao has called for a systemic overhaul of municipal governance, greater accountability and direct public service.
Explaining his decision to stay outside existing political parties and Andhra Pradesh’s dominant regional alliances, he said, “Politics is not my goal; building a better society is my objective. I chose the Independent route under the ‘gas cylinder’ symbol for the post of Mayor of Vijayawada, which is facing a direct election from the people, not an indirect election like earlier. This is the first time it has happened because of NITI Aayog’s framework for city governance, which has come in 2026 for million-plus cities.”
At rallies across Vijayawada, Rao has outlined his vision for the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, drawing on his administrative experience. He has promised to tackle corruption and executive inefficiency while rejecting money politics in favour of crowdfunding.
Speaking to ThePrint about Rao’s decision to enter electoral politics, Praveen Prakash, a retired Andhra Pradesh-cadre IAS officer now associated with the Congress’s Uttar Pradesh unit, said, “Usually, retired bureaucrats take on roles to advise on strategy, engage in advocacy and public welfare, or opt for a liaisoning role. But at his age, to choose a field-level role where he will be directly accountable to the public once elected requires a fair degree of discomfort and sacrifice. It will be a huge win for Vijayawada if he wins; he will stand vindicated because he is a man of steely determination.”
Prakash served as Vijayawada’s Municipal Commissioner between 2002 and 2004.
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From Intelligence chief to Independent challenger
Rao’s anti-establishment appeal is rooted partly in his experience of being targeted by the YSRCP during its years in power from 2019 to 2024, when Jagan Mohan Reddy was chief minister.
The animosity between the YSRCP and Rao dates back to his tenure as ADGP (Intelligence) under the TDP government, which came to power in 2014 following Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation. The YSRCP repeatedly accused him of acting as a political tool for the ruling party, alleging that he orchestrated the illegal wiretapping of opposition leaders and facilitated defections of YSRCP leaders to the TDP.
Rao denied the allegations.
After the YSRCP swept to power in 2019, the relationship deteriorated into a prolonged administrative and legal battle, culminating in the state government suspending the senior IPS officer. The YSRCP accused him of treason and operational misconduct in connection with a multi-crore surveillance equipment procurement. Rao challenged the action through a series of legal proceedings, eventually taking the fight to the Supreme Court.
In April 2022, Rao secured a significant legal victory when the Supreme Court dismissed the special leave petition filed by the state government. The court ruled that, in the absence of a formal chargesheet, a suspension could not exceed two years under the All India Services Rules. It directed the state to consider him “in service” and reinstate him.
However, further legal hurdles and a subsequent suspension delayed his return. The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) eventually quashed the suspension. The YSRCP government reinstated Rao on 31 May 2024, the day of his official retirement, allowing him to leave service with his rank and official honours intact.
After the TDP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returned to power, Rao declined an offer of a nominated post, choosing not to take up a post-retirement administrative position.
“Securing the most coveted urban post in Andhra Pradesh independently, therefore, allows him to transform his image from a victim of high-handedness to a directly elected champion of the people. It takes a lot of guts to stand independently. We believed in his candidature and approached him, pledging our support,” said Dr K Narayana, CPI national secretary.
Political analyst K.S. Prasad said the CPI, CPI(M) and Congress had aligned out of pragmatic considerations, drawing on their links with railway, transport and teacher unions in Vijayawada, which, he said, had been associated with the Communist parties since the early 1970s.
“With Rao being a Kamma, his standing for the election could also be a strategic disturbance of the anti-incumbency vote, where anti-NDA alliance voters can transfer their votes to Rao instead of the YSRCP,” Prasad said.
Rao’s suspension under the Jagan Mohan Reddy government had prompted speculation about a caste angle, with some suggesting that the influence of the Kamma community in the state administration had diminished after Reddy came to power.
(Edited by Chingkheinganbi Mayengbam)
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