Vasundhara Raje, a two-time BJP chief minister of Rajasthan and member of the Scindia royal family, was born on 8 March 1953 in Mumbai.
Raje’s father, Jivajirao Scindia, was the Maharaja of Gwalior. Her mother, Vijayaraje Scindia, entered politics after her husband’s death in 1961 and went on to become an important BJP leader. Raje’s brother, Madhavrao Scindia, was also a prominent politician but for most part a loyal Congressman till his tragic death in 2001.
In the 18th century the Scindias had led a powerful section of the Maratha army. By the time Jivajirao came to occupy the throne in the 20th century, they had long ceded real power to the British, but as royals enjoyed prestige and clout.Gwalior was among the bigger princely states of India. Jivajirao, a scion of the Scindia family, became the Maharajah of Gwalior in 1925, and in 1941 married Lekha Divyeshwari Devi (later known as Vijayraje Scindia) who belonged to Nepal’s royal Rana family.
Vasundhara studied at Presentation Convent, a school in Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu). She went on to secure degrees in Economics and Political Science from Mumbai’s Sophia College. In 1972 she married Hemant Singh of the erstwhile Dholpur royal family, but they separated in a year. The area that belonged to the Dholpur family had become a part of Rajasthan state after Independence, and as a ‘daughter-in-law’ the politically savvy Raje did not shy away from invoking that legacy, albeit subtly, as she made Rajasthan her political base. As for the question of political affiliation, she followed her mother’s path.
Raje won her first major political battle when she was elected to the Rajasthan assembly in 1985. She became vice-president of the BJP’s state unit and got nominated to the party national executive in 1987. Two years later she made her debut in the Lok Sabha, getting elected from Jhalawar. She continued her winning ways in subsequent parliamentary polls in 1991, 1998 and 1999.
Analysing the political rise of the Scindias in democratic India, the political scientist and writer Christophe Jaffrelot wrote in Seminar magazine in 2011: “Madhavrao’s reputation as an administrator that surrounded him until his death in an airplane accident in 2001 is also enjoyed by his younger sister, Vasundhara Raje, who pursued a political career in the BJP in her mother’s wake. Vijayaraje Scindia initiated her daughter into politics following her painful break with her son, revealing another specific feature of princely politics — the logic of factions: when a family is divided, each of its members is called on to choose sides.”
Raje became union minister of state for external affairs in the 13-month Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. When the NDA retained power, this time for a five-year term, Raje occupied other ministerial posts. In November 2002 she became the party president in Rajasthan and led the BJP to victory in the 2003 assembly polls.
In an article on Rajasthan’s electoral politics in Caravan magazine in October 2013, the journalist Anuradha Nagaraj wrote: “Raje’s clean sweep at the polls in 2003 was a combination of caste alignments…and a sustained campaign in Congress-dominated regions. The [Ashok] Gehlot government, which had won 153 seats in the 200-seat assembly in 1998, managed to win only 56 in 2003. The BJP made significant inroads into the traditionally Congress-dominated tribal belts of Udaipur division, which borders Gujarat. . . .”
The BJP, however, suffered a setback in the next assembly polls in 2008, its seats margin reducing to 78 and the Congress’ Ashok Gehlot coming back to power.
In the next state elections in 2013, Raje staged a stunning comeback, with the BJP winning an unprecedented 162 seats. She was back in the chief minister’s chair.
Commenting on the BJP’s return to power, The Hindu noted: “In Rajasthan, the BJP rode on the strong anti-incumbency sentiment, bringing Vasundhara Raje back to another term in office. The Congress government under Ashok Gehlot failed miserably to make an impact; the development work in the state was uneven, and some of the populist schemes did not reach all the intended beneficiaries.”
After her victory she told India Today magazine: “Let me state it on record: I want to make a lasting improvement in quality of life of people through sustainable growth and not one-time freebie of a few hundred rupees before elections.” An experienced BJP hand and a powerful state chief minister who has experience working in the union cabinet: the political future looks bright for Vasundhara Raje.
Also on this day:
1921 — Sahir Ludhianvi, legendary Hindi film lyricist and Urdu poet, was born
1954 — Digambar Kamat, Chief Minister of Goa, was born
1964 — Santosh Sivan, Indian cinematographer and film director, was born
1974 — Fardeen Khan, Hindi film actor, was born
