Raja puts his royal hold on Bharatpur to test

The day ‘Maharaja’ Vishvendra Singh, the political adviser to Vasundhara Raje Scindia and BJP MP, had raised a banner of revolt against his own party, little did he know that he was also putting to test his family’s decades-old royal hold on the region.

The day ‘Maharaja’ Vishvendra Singh, the political adviser to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and BJP MP, had raised a banner of revolt against his own party, little did he know that he was also putting to test his family’s decades-old royal hold on the region.

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Vishvendra's poll eve resignation had literally taken the steam out of BJP’s poll engine. The party was already caught in a vortex of intense infighting, unrelenting rebels, Gujjar community’s anger while a resurgent Congress was making every bid to win back the state.

Thus when Vishvendra picked up the Congress flag with a vow to finish the BJP, the saffron power knew it wouldn’t be a smooth sail for them anymore here. They had tasted his ire in 2003 assembly elections when the party had lost nine seats- two to little known Lok Dal in the region. His supporters claim his hold on 16 seats in the area including two of Alwar.

An unrepentant Vishvendra minces no words in owning his political act when he says indignantly. “BJP lost nine seats in 2003 elections– you want me to name then?” He was BJP MP then but no disciplinary action was initiated against him.

Vishvendra demands his say in ticket distribution or retaliates. In 2003 BJP lost seats, this time they lost him.

He says in fluent English, “CM called me for a meeting on July 3 last. I told her frankly as both my wife and myself are in politics and would like to pursue it, I would like to contest from Kumher-Deeg assembly seat as Bharatpur Lok Sabha is now a reserved seat.”

Vishvendra claims that CM had conceded his demand and asked him to help Dr Digamber Singh, sitting MLA from Kumher win election from Nagar or Bharatpur assembly constituency. She also appointed Divvya Singh, his wife as chairman of Rajasthan Subordinate Services Board.

However when Digamber Singh’s candidature was unilaterally announced Vishvendra was convalescing at home after undergoing angioplasty. That angered him no end, “Vasundhara had vision, but sycophants surrounding her has blurred it.” She is taking wrong decisions,” he said while justifying his decision to resign.

When asked why he couldn’t fight from Bharatpur or any other seat in the region of his undisputed influence Vishvendra reacted strongly, " Why should I leave my seat? Digamber won it with 800 votes in 2003 while my victory margin from this segment alone in the Lok Sabha election was 56000. Would Gandhi’s agree to give up Amethi,” he demands to know.

The problems actually started after the delimitation. Kumher-Deeg was merged into one constituency. While Industries Minister Dr Digamber won from Kumher, Raja’s wife Divvya was MLA from Deeg. She recently resigned after she was appointmented chairman of the Subordinate Board.

Going by the voter’s mood in the region, it appears in his zeal to script the nemesis of BJP Raja has also put at stake the honour and hold of the royal family.

But then he has always played political games according to his own rules. And he is doing so once again. While seeking votes to make Ashok Gehlot Cm , he candidly admits, " Nowadays governments are coming on rebound, not on merit.”

To prove his hold on the region he must win all the seven assembly seats in Bharatpur besides few others in adjoining districts including Alwar. It's not going to be a cakewalk.

First the Jatavs (Dalits) under BSP protection are daring to come out to vote in larger numbers.

Jatavs rarely get to vote in pre-dominantly Jat areas. They are considered anti-royal family for two reasons. One Vishvendra’z ancestor Bachchu Singh is known to have violently reacted in Parliament when Dr BR Ambedkar’s had said, ‘ rassi jal gayi par bal nahi gaya.’

Second is the ill famous 1996 Kumher incident in which 14 Jatavs were burnt alive. Rivals are raking old incidents that should have been a part of history by now.

Second the loyalty of younger Jats to the royal family is questionable, according to sociologists. Some of them are impressed by Vasundhara Raje’s development plank in Bharatpur , which got an engineering college, while medical college and university are in the offing.

Third the selection of Congress candidate like Dharmendra Sharma in Bharatpur is enough to give him jitters, while Zaheda in Kamah assembly constituency may neither need him nor credit him with victory in the event of success.

But people who know Vishvendra claim that he would go to any length to ensure the downfall of Raje government—even if it meant extending tacit support to the winnable opposition candidates. BSP candidate from Bharatpur Aditya Raj Sharma could be one of them. Vishvendra’s men are already conceding Bharatpur city seat to BSP.

However Congress who went overboard to get Vishvendra back into the party fold after two decades of separation expects Raja to get a dozen odd seats in the party kitty to make Ashok Gehlot the Chief Minister.

Raja is also campaigning for the same.

But then he has never been a one-party man. He had started his political career with Congress. But during VP Singh’s tenure, he had resigned from parliament on mandal issue. He was JD MP then. His wife Divvya Singh belongs to the Gujjar community and Raja helped Raje in brokering peace during the Gujjar agitation in May-June this year.