Former Indian Air Force chief Bhadauria joins BJP
The former Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF), RKS Bhadauria, has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He joined the saffron party in the presence of BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde and Union Minister Anurag Thakur. Bhadauria served as the 23rd Air Force Chief from September 30, 2019 to September 30, 2021.
Video of Bhadauria joining BJP
Tawde lauded Bhadauria's long service in IAF
At the joining ceremony, Tawde praised Bhadauria's long service in the IAF and expressed confidence that he would now actively contribute to politics after serving in the defense forces. According to reports, the BJP is considering fielding Bhadauria from Ghaziabad for the Lok Sabha elections, replacing current MP VK Singh, who is also a military veteran.
Who is Bhadauria
Bhadauria hails from Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune. He served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Training Command from August 2018 and held the post till his elevation to the Vice Chief of the Air Staff in May 2019. He has over 4250 hours of flight time under his belt.
Bhadauria help negotiate Rs. 59,000-crore deal with France
His most notable achievement, however, was leading the negotiations for the Rs. 59,000-crore deal with France for 36 multi-role Rafale fighter aircraft in 2016. For his contributions, he was awarded several medals, including the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, the Vayu Sena Medal, and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. He was also appointed an honorary Aide de Campe to the President of India in 2019.
