Press Trust of India Posted online: Monday, December 08, 2003 at 1307 hours IST
Jaipur, December 8: The nuances of power come naturally to Vasundhara Raje, the first woman Chief Minister of Rajasthan, a born princess who learnt the basics of political intricacies from her mother late Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia and elder brother late Madhavrao Scindia.
The 50-year old daughter-in-law of the Dholpur royals, who catapulted her party to an unprecedented majority of its own in the Assembly polls shattering the record of even stalwart Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, was ironically projected as an "outsider" by her opponents in the run-up to the elections.
Having been initiated into politics as a young girl when she accompanied her mother during election tours, Vasundhara has been associated with the BJP since its Jan Sangh days and after her marriage to prince Hemant Singh in 1972 plunged headlong into politics.
First elected to the Rajasthan Assembly in 1985, she was made vice-president of the party's state unit and nominated to the national executive in 1987.
In 1989, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Jhalawar, a performance she replicated in the subsequent elections of 1991, 1998 and 1999.
Vasundhara was made Union minister of state for external affairs in the first Vajpayee government. Later, she continued to be a minister in the subsequent NDA government.
Known to have a mind of her own, Vasundhara not only ensured that women candidates crossed the double-digit mark in the allocation of tickets but also kept controversial Hindutva issues at bay during campaigning, save for a promise to enact an anti-conversion law in the party manifesto.
Assisted by a core team of professionals, she chose candidates after a scientific analysis of each and every constituency. "It would be a happy mix keeping in mind ground realities, caste combinations and above all winnability," she had said ahead of the polls.
Asked whether the party would rake up its pet Hindutva issues including Ram temple in the poll campaign, she had merely said, "The state has just faced a major drought. The infrastructure, including power, water and education, is in shambles. One cannot think beyond basic needs at this point."
"Development is the key issue. Security of women and Dalits is another major issue. One has to be sensitive to that. Of course, national security would be one of the issues," she had said.
An economics and political science graduate, Vasundhara never had any doubts about her victory notwithstanding the verdict given by opinion polls and exit polls.
"They (pollsters) should be worried about their credibility. They would be proved wrong as was the case in Gujarat," she had asserted confidently.
Interestingly, cooking and gardening along with photography and art restoration are the pastimes of this down-to-earth Maharani who considers commitment, planning and continuous learning as the recipe for a successful political career.
