Assembly elections: There’s no looking back for Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan

By: Nistula Hebbar and Akshay Deshmane
NEW DELHI | JAIPUR: For Vasundhara Raje, the call to ascend to the throne of Rajasthan came in the summer of 2002. The shy, junior minister, then considered a political lightweight, was surprised when prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked if she would be interested in taking over the BJP reins.

A panicked Raje rang up her ministerial colleague Pramod Mahajan for advice, and finally decided to try her luck in a state that had become home by virtue of her marriage. The word in the Parivar is that Shekhawat recommended Raje’s name since he thought she was a political lightweight who wouldn’t upset the Sangh applecart in Jaipur.

Although she won by a landslide in 2003, in 2008, BJP was voted out. Raje’s position in the party became untenable, and she had to fight turf wars with ambitious party colleagues in Jaipur as well as the central leadership.

Now, 18 months after Raje threatened to quit BJP, the land of shifting sands will see the royal from the House of Scindias ascend to power. For this historic victory, thank anti-incumbency factor, Modi campaign, and above all, the way in which a cornered Raje played her cards.

Raje launched her election campaign last April with her state-wide journeys titled ‘Suraaj Sankalp Yatra’. Her mass contact meetings began drawing notable response and Congress’ ‘Sandesh Yatra’ failed to catch up. 14,000 km and eight months later, Raje found herself on a much stronger wicket.

Immense challenges from Gehlot’s populist schemes and Congress’ backing for BJP rebels notwithstanding, Raje managed to harness the anti-Congress mood of the common Rajasthani.