Finally, Minister Nara Lokesh’s word prevailed on the State government in selecting the new DGP for the State. His choice was accepted on Saturday by the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in appointing senior IPS officer and Anti-Corruption Bureau chief R P Thakur as the new DGP of Andhra Pradesh.

Though the Chief Minister wanted to have Vijayawada police commissioner Gautham Sawang to succeed Malakondaiah, Lokesh mounted more pressure on the Chief Minister to change his decision. The Chief Minister had to succumb to the pressures from his son, who is projected as the future Chief Minister of the State. Lokesh wanted Thakur as DGP when Sambasiva Rao was retiring. But, Chandrababu Naidu had his word and appointed Malakondaiah then. This time, Chandrababu Naidu could not say no to his son.

Thakur will assume his new charge from incumbent, Malakondaiah, who is retiring on Saturday evening. Thakur is now the director general of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). He belongs to the 1986 batch of the IPS officers and had severed the department in several positions in the united Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief Minister, after a long exercise, had cleared Thakur’s name in the tough contest with senior IPS officers Gautham Sawang, Vinay Ranjan Ray, N Surendra Babu and A R Anuradha.