Vasundhara Raje Scindia, a two-time former Chief Minister (CM) of Rajasthan, is arguably one of the tallest and most popular leaders in the state.
In a political career spanning over nearly four decades, Raje has enjoyed popular mass support in Rajasthan positioning herself as a successor to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, former Vice President and the only non-Congress leader to be the CM of Rajasthan three times.
But BJP's comfortable victory in the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections has put Raje at crossroads.
In the run-up to the polls, the BJP did not project a chief ministerial face and reports of infighting between a sidelined Raje and the party-high command in Delhi kept emerging time and again.
Next few days will be crucial for her as the party makes its pick for the CM post.
If Not The CM Choice, What Next?
Among the many contenders for the post of the Chief Minister are Diya Kumari, an MP from Rajsamand and member of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur, and Mahant Balaknath, Alwar MP and a firebrand Hindutva leader. Then there's Om Mathur, a former RSS pracharak and a seasoned BJP organisational hand.
If they are given preference over Raje, the latter has two options: first, she can accept her fate and continue as a member of the BJP, which she joined in 1984.
Raje's second option is to quit and form her own party. This, however, seems unlikely as Rajasthan has traditionally only been a two-party state.
Additionally, BJP leaders are not known to thrive outside party-fold. Take for instance Uma Bharti, who in 2004 was suspended from the BJP after a public fallout with Lal Krishna Advani. Bharti started her own political party but didn't enjoy much success and re-joined the BJP in 2011.
Raje, at 70, might not want to take that risk.
Is a 'Right-Ward' Shift Inevitable?
Unlike several other BJP chief ministers across board, Raje was not seen as a hardline Hindutva proponent. She enjoys decent support among Muslims on ground. In fact, her closest aide Yoonus Khan is a Muslim. Khan wasn't given a ticket by the BJP but won from his turf Deedwana as an Independent.
With more and more BJP leaders increasing towing the Hindutva line, her 'moderate' image might work against her.
Before the election results, the 70 year-old-old two-time former CM, visited several temples over a few days, including the Mehandipur Balaji temple in Dausa and the Moti Doongari temple in Jaipur. A picture of her with self-proclaimed Godman Dhirendra Shastri was also doing the rounds on social media.
With leaders like Balaknath in competition, Raje's politics might have to take a more right-ward shift, if she stays in the BJP.
A Possible Move to the Centre
Rajasthan send 25 MPs to the Lok Sabha and with the 2024 General elections due in less than six months, the BJP might not want to upset a career politician like Raje.
This also opens her to the possibility of a possible move to the Centre.
In both 2014 and 2019, the BJP swept the state winning all 25 seats.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)