Former Telangana Intelligence Bureau chief T Prabhakhar Rao has been named as Accused No 1 in the phone-tapping case that has roiled the state ahead of a general election. 

Mr Rao – on whose order reams of electronic data gathered by illegally tapping the phones of opposition leaders during the earlier BRS government led by K Chandrashekar Rao – is reportedly in the United States. A look-out notice has been issued in his name.

Mr Rao’s home in Hyderabad have been searched, as have nearly a dozen other locations, including the residence of Shravan Rao, who runs a Telugu TV channel called I News.

Sharvan Rao – also believed to be out of the country – allegedly helped set up phone-tapping equipment (from Israel) and servers on the premises of a local school.

Another cop, Radha Kishan Rao – who was serving in the city task force – has also been named as an accused and a look-out notice has been issued for him as well.

Several other Telangana police officers are being investigated in connection with this case.

Three – Additional SPs Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, and Deputy SP Praneeth Rao – have already been arrested. The police said Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, arrested last week, had confessed to monitoring private persons illegally and destroying the evidence.

READ | Former Telangana Cop Arrested For Tapping Opposition Leaders’ Phones

Praneeth Rao was arrested earlier this month, and charged with developing profiles of unknown persons and monitoring their activity in an unauthorised manner, as well as destroying certain computer systems and data stored on electronic gadgets.

The evidence was reportedly destroyed on orders from Prabhakar Rao; the order was allegedly given a day after the Congress beat the BRS in the 2023 election. 

READ | Arrested Telangana Cop Said He Destroyed Intel On Boss’ Orders

The list of individuals whose devices were reportedly monitored include Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and members of the BJP and Congress, as well as those from ex-Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s BRS. There are also reports that Telugu actors and businessmen were monitored too, and that many of them were blackmailed. 

Sources have said over one lakh phone calls were tapped.

Mr Reddy has vowed action and labelled Mr Rao a “present-day Qasim Rizi”. “Elements of the conspiracy are still under investigation, but there is a lot to come out…” he told NDTV.

Overall, at least 30 police officers are likely to be investigated as this can of worms is opened.

There are even rumours that a BRS leader could be implicated, which will turn the spotlight on the former Chief Minister’s party just days before a general election.

Telangana’s State Intelligence Bureau is supposed to keep tabs on left-wing extremism, but a team was reportedly gathering political intelligence and details of transactions made by opposition party leaders, sources have told NDTV.

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The Sharad Pawar vs Ajit Pawar throwdown – and the legal squabble for control of the Nationalist Congress Party – has dominated Maharashtra politics for nearly a year. 

And now – with less than a month for the 2024 Lok Sabha election – the Pawar vs Pawar spat may have a secondary storyline in Baramati – the ‘sugar bowl of Maharashtra’ – where Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, could face off against Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra.

Baramati has been the stronghold of the Pawar family since 1996.

Sharad Pawar is a six-time MP from this area, including four times in a row from 1996 to 2004. Crucially, the 1999 and 2004 wins came after he split from the Congress to form the NCP, underlining the fact Baramati voters followed Mr Pawar away from the party.

Since 2009 Baramati – which has never voted for the BJP or the Shiv Sena, and only four times since 1989 for a non-Pawar Congress candidate – has been held by Supriya Sule, who is bidding to become a four-time MP from the high-profile constituency.

In 2019 she swatted away the challenge of the BJP’s Kanchan Rahul Kul, picking up nearly 53 per cent of the votes and defeating her rival by more than 1.5 lakh ballots. 

Marking a fourth consecutive win may not be quite as easy though.

In the continuing battle to go one-up on his uncle, Ajit Pawar has his eye set on the prestigious Baramati Lok Sabha seat. Earlier this month his party nominated his wife to contest the seat. Mr Pawar would perhaps have been the preferred choice, but he is also Deputy Chief Minister and would have had to resign had he won the parliamentary seat.

The BJP is desperate to win Baramati too; victory here will be a statement of intent against the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, of which Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction is a part. It will also boost the ‘mission 45’ goal, which is to win 45 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats.

The two likely contenders found themselves face-to-face at a Hanuman temple in Baramati, where cordial greetings and a hug were exchanged. The temple has political significance as all Pawar family members, including Ajit, visit before launching their election campaigns.

In Ms Sule’s camp is, of course, her father and NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar. Also campaigning for her is Rohit Pawar, her nephew, who last month was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case. 

The ED summons to Mr Pawar, a first-time MLA, have been slammed as politically motivated by Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Ms Sule, who accompanied her nephew on the day of questioning, also accused the BJP (again) of using probe agencies like the ED to target rival leaders.

Rohit Pawar has declared a wave of sympathy for the Sharad Pawar faction – triggered by Ajit Pawar’s breakaway and attacks on his 83-year-old uncle – will ensure Ms Sule’s win

Ms Sule has refrained from direct attacks on her sister-in-law, but has launched a wave of attacks on the political coalition she represents, which is made of the Ajit Pawar NCP faction, the BJP, and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Ms Pawar, meanwhile, has been active trying to establish a political presence in the rural heartlands of Baramati. Her days begin at 8 am and include lengthy meetings with villagers to understand their concerns. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, she acknowledged her lower profile but said she remains committed to carving out her own identity.

All the while that the Supriya Sule-Sunetra Pawar story unfolds, there is a potential twist in the tale. Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare has said he will contest the Baramati seat too

In the previous election, Mr Shivtare was a candidate from Purandar but lost, earning jibes from Ajit Pawar. This time around, Mr Shivtare is prepping to contest not Ajit Pawar’s wife.

He has, however, denied any talk of vendetta behind his decision

Baramati votes on May 7 and on June 4 the results will be declared.