Despite losing kingdoms, power continues to allure erstwhile royals in Rajasthan.
Royal families have dabbled in electoral politics ever since the first polls in 1951-52 but only one of them, Vasundhara Raje, has ever become a Chief Minister.
However, it's not Raje but a member of Jaipur’s former royal family - Diya Kumari — who has suddenly captured the spotlight in the lead-up to the upcoming elections.
In a move raising many eyebrows, the BJP has nominated Diya Kumari, Lok Sabha MP from Rajasamand, as its candidate from Jaipur's prestigious Vidhyadhar Nagar seat. The decision to replace Narpat Singh Rajvi, a senior leader and five-time MLA who won the seat in the 2018 elections, has ignited a political storm.
The BJP had lost 40 of the 41 seats in 2018 for which candidates were announced in its first list.
But despite his win by over 30,000 votes last time, the BJP has replaced Rajvi, who is the son-in-law of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, former CM and Vice President of India, and a key member of the Raje camp in recent years.
Can Diya Fill Raje's Shoes?
The reaction from Rajvi was swift and sharp.
Expressing shock and disbelief, he termed the decision as “an insult to the legacy of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.” Recalling how Shekhawat had nurtured the party for decades in the state, Rajvi also questions with what face the BJP will celebrate Shekhawat’s birth centenary due to begin on 23 October when his own family is being treated so shabbily.
Questioning Diya’s credentials as she “neither had communication nor connect with party cadres”, Rajvi wonders “why the party is blessing a family that connived with Mughals and even fought against Rana Pratap, the iconic hero of Rajasthan.” The reference is clearly to one of the most embarrassing chapters in the history of Jaipur royals who not only got Jodha Bai married to emperor Akbar but also had Maharaja Man Singh lead the Mughal forces against Rana Pratap in battle.
BJP insiders say the decision to dump Rajvi and ensure a ‘safe seat’ for Diya is because the party’s top brass envisages a bigger role for Diya and hopes to encash her royal lineage to fill the vacuum created by sidelining Raje.
The critical question is - can Diya Kumari fill the huge void created by sidelining Vasundhara Raje and become an effective replacement for a woman who has been the BJP’s most popular leader in Rajasthan for over two decades?
On the surface, the parallels between Diya and Raje appear striking. Both women hail from prominent royal families and exude a regal charm. But those who understand the intricacies of Rajasthan politics and BJP’s inner workings see a far more nuanced and complex picture.
Despite her royal background, doubts persist about Diya’s political acumen.
Her father, Brigadier Bhawani Singh had ventured into electoral politics as a Congress candidate in 1989 but faced defeat. Diya herself has fought only two elections so far: the 2013 Assembly elections, when the BJP secured a historic mandate in Rajasthan and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Interestingly, she chose to sit out of the 2018 Assembly polls when the BJP faced a tough battle, citing personal reasons. The upcoming election will see Diya contesting from a third different seat in her three electoral forays.
The Raje-Diya Rupture and the Latter's Controversies
Diya has a charming demeanour like her step-grandmother Rajmata Gayatri Devi, one of the founders of the Swatantra Party, who represented the Jaipur Lok Sabha seat in the 1960s and 70s. But not many credit her with much mass appeal or political acumen and most in the state BJP see Diya as a lightweight who has no great legislative experience or political panache.
Ironically, Diya was inducted into the BJP by none other than Raje herself at a Narendra Modi rally during the 2013 assembly elections. However, their political alliance soured over time and in 2016 Diya and her mother Padmini Devi had a rather public spat with Raje over what is popularly termed in Jaipur as the ‘Raj Mahal Controversy’.
The bitter Raje-Diya fallout became public knowledge in August 2016 when the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) sealed the gates of the posh Raj Mahal Palace hotel, owned by Diya’s family.
Though part of an anti-encroachment drive, it led to high drama as first Diya haggled with government officials and later, her mother Rajmata Padmini Devi took to streets supported by Rajput organisations like the Karni Sena. Ultimately, the JDA backed off but the crisis reflected that the Raje-Diya relationship had broken beyond repair.
Ever since that rupture, RSS and BJP factions opposed to Raje have tried to promote Diya as a counter to Vasundhara. Her rift with the state RSS has been legendary and has carried on ever since Raje became CM in 2003.
RSS biggies have been looking for alternatives to Raje from her first term and insiders say RSS got Diya the ticket in the last Lok Sabha elections. Raje’s uneasy relationship with the BJP’s Top Two – PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah – is also hardly a state secret and their bid to marginalize Raje has turned Diya into a handy, royal tool for RSS-BJP honchos.
Diya Kumari’s political journey, however, has been marked by a penchant for controversies through unconventional claims and statements. One of her most notable claims was that the Taj Mahal belonged to her ancestors as it had been “captured” by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Her audacious assertion also extended to being a descendant of Lord Ram’s son, Kush. To expedite the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Diya had even offered to provide evidence of her family’s lineage to Lord Ram's son in the Supreme Court.
Beyond the political, Diya's personal life too has been anything but conventional, especially her love marriage in the mid-1990s. Initially met with family opposition, the marriage stirred protests by Rajput organizations in Jaipur. However, the marital union soured a decade later and eventually culminated in divorce in 2019.
So, Why Diya?
Despite her limited political experience and controversies, Diya has won the favour of the BJP’s top brass and Home Minister Shah even opened a special BJP office in one of Diya’s properties during the 2018 state polls. The support has been quite evident recently as during a Modi rally in Jaipur at the end of the Parivartan Yatras, Diya Kumari anchored the event that was largely managed by BJP women cadres and leaders.
In contrast, Vasundhara was pointedly ignored by PM Modi and not even allowed to address the rally. Days later, Amit Shah and party President JP Nadda convened a strategy session in Jaipur but held a separate meeting with Diya.
Despite enviable support from the BJP’s top leadership, political circles are sceptical of Diya's political sagacity and acumen. Given her limited experience, lack of political maturity and unorthodox public remarks, doubts linger over Diya’s ability to serve as a credible replacement for Raje in the 2023 elections.
Though her cheerleaders argue to the contrary, the notion of Diya Kumari being an effective substitute for Vasundhara Raje in the upcoming poll battle appears more wishful thinking by Raje detractors than a grounded political calculation. The road ahead will test whether Diya’s royal lineage and newfound political prominence can translate into electoral success in the complex landscape of Rajasthan politics.
(The author is a veteran journalist and expert on Rajasthan politics. Besides serving as a Resident Editor at NDTV, he has been a Professor of Journalism at the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur. He tweets at @rajanmahan. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)
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