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A 1st in 25 years: Patiala royal family sans representation in state, Centre
This is for the first time since 1999 that the Patiala royal family will have no member in the Punjab assembly as well as the Parliament; in these years, Captain Amarinder remained the CM twice while Preneet Kaur won four parliamentary elections and remained minister in the UPA-2 government
After former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s defeat in the 2022 assembly polls from Patiala, now Preneet Kaur’s drubbing, though by a slender margin of 16,618 votes, from the Patiala Lok Sabha seat has set “curtains on the political dominance of the royal family” that remained a dominant force in the state politics for the last 25 years.
This is for the first time since 1999 that the Patiala royal family will have no member in the Punjab assembly as well as the Parliament. In these years, Captain Amarinder remained the CM twice while Preneet Kaur won four parliamentary elections and remained minister in the UPA-2 government. Captain, who remained PPCC president for the longest period of time, defeated Arun Jaitley from Amritsar in the parliamentary polls of 2014. He had the chief ministership in 2002-07 and 2012-16 before being unceremoniously removed from the post by the Congress.
Kaur, a four-time MP and a prominent figure in the royal family, lost twice in 2014 and 2024 to Dr Dharamvir Gandhi.
A close associate of the royal family said, “The removal of Captain from chief ministership put the royal family’s future in the dark. Now, the defeat of Preneet Kaur not only signifies a personal political setback but also marks the end to the royal family’s longstanding political dominance, reflecting broader changes within the state’s political arena. Overtrusting some retired bureaucrats and putting inexperienced and corrupt persons as OSDs during his tenure as CM did the damage.”
He said that even the royal family admitted this fact. “Shifting from the Congress was a blunder. It was the Congress which gave them immense political clout. The BJP never paid heed to the demands of the royal family,” he added.
The fact is that political heir and son Raninder Singh has lost twice — once in assembly and once in parliament elections — while daughter Jayainder Kaur is politically novice.
As Captain Amarinder and Preneet have touched 80s of their age, a political revival is an utopian task for the royal family, admitted the close protégé.
Meanwhile, Preneet Kaur has said that she would remain in touch with the people.
