 "Vasundhara Raje")
Born in an affluent royal family, Vasundhara Raje built her political career by rising through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Raje was not only twice elected as Chief Minister of Rajasthan, she was also the first woman chief minister of the state and her work received recognition on a global platform when the United Nations awarded her the "Women Together Award" in 2007. Despite questions arising on the future of Raje's career in Rajasthan and her role in the BJP party, she continues to be a strong and influential politician in the state.
Here is a closer look at the former chief minister of Rajasthan and her political career so far.
Background and education
Vasundhara Raje was born on March 8, 1953, in Mumbai, to the Late Ruler of Gwalior, His Highness Jivaji Rao Scindia, and Late Rajmata Vijaya Raje. Her father was the last Maharaja of Gwalior, a princely state in India before Independence. Her mother, Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia, became a prominent political leader in post-independence, serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) for a record eight times over 40 years, representing Guna in Madhya Pradesh.
Raje completed her school education at Presentation Convent, Kodaikanal, and graduated in Economic and Political Science (Hons) from Sophia College, Mumbai University, Maharashtra.
Entry into politics
Following in her mother's footsteps, Raje's entry into politics began in 1984 when she became a Member of the National Executive of the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 1985, she was appointed Vice-President of the Yuva Morcha, Rajasthan BJP, and was elected as a member of the 8th Rajasthan Assembly from Dholpur. In 1989, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Jhalawar in Rajasthan for the first time. Raje went on to be elected to the Lok Sabha for four successive terms in 1991, 1996, 1998, and 1999 elections, all times from Rajasthan.
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Over the years, she held various positions within the party and gained experience in both state and national politics.
Member of Parliament & Minister of State
In March 1998, Vasundhara Raje was elected as a Member of Parliament from Jhalawar and sworn in as the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs in the Union Council of Ministers. During her time as Minister of State, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ordered testing of India's nuclear capabilities. This meant that Raje played a significant role in India's nuclear testing, marking a pivotal moment in the country's history.
In 1999, when the BJP was re-elected into power following the Vajpayee government resignation, Raje served as the Minister of State with Independent Charge for Small Scale Industries and Agro & Rural Industries. In this role, Raje assisted the Prime Minister in the DoPT (Personnel and Training), Department of Pensions and Pensioners' Welfare in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space.
In this role, Raje also instated a reservation policy that allowed certain items to only be manufactured by small industries, encouraging growth among small enterprises and competition within the small-scale sector.
Chief Minister of Rajasthan
In 2003, she became the first woman Chief Minister of Rajasthan on December 8, 2003. During her tenure, she focused on the state's overall development, with a special emphasis on women's empowerment. In recognition of her efforts, she received the "Women Together Award" from the United Nations in 2007.
In the following election in 2008, Raje was appointed the leader of Opposition for BJP. Under her guidance, the party secured 78 seats, 18 seats less than the Congress party's tally of 96 seats out of the 200-member State Assembly.
She was reinstated as leader of the Opposition in the 2013 state Assembly elections in Rajasthan and once again took charge as Chief Minister till 2018.
Rajasthan elections 2023
While Vasundhara Raje has continued to be active in rallies held by the BJP, she was notably absent from the party's Parivartan Sankalp Yatra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also made several visits to the state and Amit Shah has been holding workshops with a notable absence of state leaders.
This time BJP leader Rajendra Rathore has been appointed leader of Opposition, which fueled rumours of Raje being sidelined. It was speculated that the former chief minister was not happy with the party as she was not portrayed as the chief ministerial candidate nor given any prominent position in the committees formed for the upcoming state polls.
However, this may be BJP's attempt to bring in fresh faces to the party. The party has also been heavily criticised for not having a face for Rajasthan and fielding MPs in the elections. As the election date draws close, Raje does appear to be more active in the party, which means her candidacy cannot be ruled out just yet, especially with the lack of strong contenders in the state.
