Rajasthan gears up for battle royale in Sawai Madhopur

By Sandipan Sharma Jaipur: Imagine a petite princess in swirling chiffon fighting the evil forces of casteism and communalism in the badlands of eastern Rajasthan. Add to this drama the backdrop of 600 years of history, an imposing fort and a rampaging tribal warlord. Throw in, finally, a young man to complete the triangle, not of love but deep caste-based vendetta. If there is any electoral contest that defines quintessential Rajasthan—the fabled land of forts, palaces, princesses and brutal battles—it has to be the one going on in Sawai Madhopur. Here ‘Princess’ Diya Kumari of the Jaipur royal family is locked in a fight even the mighty armies of her forefather Sawai Man Singh, commander of Akbar’s forces that took on Rana Pratap, would have found daunting.[caption id=“attachment_1227667” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Poll battle. Reuters[/caption] Diya, who has been fielded by the BJP, is the titular king’s mother. Her son Padmanabh is heir to the Jaipur royals. But her adversary is no less. Meena chieftain Kirori Lal, Diya’s formidable adversary, dreams of being the kingmaker in Rajasthan. Completing the cast is Danish Abrar, son of former Union minister Abrar Ahmed, who represents the Congress and his party’s hopes of cornering the nearly 60,000 Muslim votes in Sawai Madhopur. Caught in the middle of a ‘Muslims vs Meenas vs Rest of Sawai Madhopur’ slugfest, Diya is relying on history, her own charm, Vasundhara Raje’s tricks and Narendra Modi’s impact for victory. Sawai Madhopur is named after her forefather Madho Singh, who built it in the 16th century a few miles from Ranthambhore, which was destroyed by Alauddin Khilji. So, Madho Singh is Diya’s poll plank. “My forefathers served you. I shall do the same,” she tells her voters. Her campaign looks like a hunting expedition, for which the forests of Sawai Madhopur were patronized by the Jaipur royals. Cars and jeeps loaded with young Rajput men, easily identifiable in their berets, breeches, upturned moustaches and aviator shades, follow Diya as she roams the villages. They make a huge racket screaming, shouting in a bid to get close to the young princess. That most of these Bana (Rajput men) are from Jaipur is not lost on the electorate. Diya, 41, looks uncomfortable. “Will I have to walk?” she asks, deterred by the dusty, irregular terrain and made uneasy by her chiffon saree and chappals. Her jaw fells every time she comes across a long stretch. Raje is her idol. Just like the BJP stalwart, who is also from a royal family, Diya tries to give the impression she is a commoner. So, she sits in a cot, breaks a piece of bajra roti and sips from a cup of tea. But if Raje is the Meena Kumari of this act, Diya comes across just as a novice, her suave tone and looks making her a misfit for the role. Diya’s followers know that they would be lucky to get even a percent of the nearly 60,000 Meena votes. Meena, chief of the fledgling third-front in Rajasthan, is such a daunting figure in the area that even entering Meena villages is a nightmare. Her eyes are then on the Muslim votes, an idea that has inspired a wicked slogan: ‘Dekho, dekho kaun aayi, Mamujaan ki beti aaye’. This apocryphal line is inspired by the very thought that inspired the film Jodha Akbar. But it is unlikely Diya would reopen the controversial chapter of history linking Akbar’s matrimonial policy to Jaipur royal family’s Raja Bharmal, his son Man Singh and daughter Jodha. Tampering with 600 years of history for five years in power appears too big a gamble with her legacy. So, that leaves her with just Narendra Modi. Diya, according to reports, is trying to get Modi to hold a rally in her area. She feels that his presence would polarize the election on communal lines. But Diya is getting tough competition from BJP heavyweight Digamber Singh, who wants Modi in adjoining Bharatpur, where he is facing a tough battle with the local Maharaja. On paper, Diya’s chances look bleak because of the caste arithmetic. Her case is further complicated by adverse reactions from Karauli, which abuts Sawai Madhopur. Here the voters are angry with another Maharani, Rohini Kumari, for having disappeared for five years after winning the election as the BJP candidate in 2008. So, the Congress is trying to tell people that Diya’s is a guest role. Its cadres joke that if she wins, people will have to buy entry tickets for the Jaipur City Palace, where the royals live, to meet her. Abrar, on his part, thinks Diya is not even his main adversary. But don’t forget Diya’s grandmother Gayatri Devi. Several decades ago, when she had stepped out in her chiffons, Gayatri Devi had rewritten electoral history by winning the Jaipur Lok Sabha seat with a record margin. The delicious combination of history, geography, Jaipur royalty, Muslims, tribals and a coy princess could shatter several poll myths yet again.