Will ex CBI chief Nageshwar Rao contest UP Polls from PM Modi’s turf in Varanasi?

Former CBI Director M. Nageshwar Rao has officially entered active politics, taking charge as the national president of the Sarvajana Sanatan Party (SSP). In a move that marks his transition from a nearly four-decade career in security and administration to the political arena, Rao launched his new chapter from Varanasi this Saturday. During the launch, he outlined a vision for a "Modern India, with its Sanatan civilizational roots," focusing on education, healthcare, and livelihood. He is a former 1986 batch IPS officer of Odisha cadre.

Reports suggest that Rao is preparing for a much larger political statement and is reportedly keen to contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, a seat that falls in the parliament segment represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary seat.

If confirmed, fielding a former top cop on a Sanatan platform in the Prime Minister's stronghold of Kashi could set the stage for one of the most symbolically charged electoral battles in the state.