A lawyer by profession, he graduated from Osmania University, Hyderabad, he entered the AP state assembly in 1978. He served as a Minister of state in Chenna Reddy's cabinet. He joined N. T. Rama Rao in 1983 and aided in the efforts of creating Telugu Desam Party.
After NTR swept the assembly elections in 1983, Bhaskara Rao joined his ministry as Finance minister.
After one and half years of the TDP’s rule the main opposition party, Outers pulled a coup on the NTR government in August 1984. Congress gave support to Bhaskara Rao's group within TDP at a time when NTR was away in the US to undergo a heart surgery. Since Congress was in power at the center and their nominee occupied the AP Governors post, Bhaskara Rao became CM of Andhra Pradesh.
Seventeen opposition parties, including the CPI, CPI, BJP and the Janata criticised this move and launched a ‘Save democracy movement’, leading to massive anti-Centre protest against the dismissal of the TDP government. NTR returned from US, wore black clothes and launched a statewide yathra to protest the dismissal of his government. He called it a dharma yuddham, a war against the authoritarian and autocratic rule at the Centre, for restoration of democracy and safeguarding the Constitution. The central government, recalled the governor and reinstalled NTR as CM the only instance in political history of India when a dismissed CM was reinstated.
Bhaskara Rao left TDP and joined Congress along with his supporters. His reign as AP CM lasted 31 days.
Post CM days
After a political hiatus, Bhaskara Rao was elected to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998 from Khammam Constituency. To date, he remains active in state politics.
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