Royalty Bites The Dust As Scindia Faces Stiff Challenge
In a former princely state where symbolism has often overpowered reality, Madhavrao Scindia, scion of the erstwhile royal family, created ripples by sitting on the floor as he met local traders during his election campaign. People here know what that means.
After successive elections in which the former Union minister won hands down, he is facing a real fight in this parliamentary election, possibly for the first time in his political career. And Scindia is using powerful symbolism to show he is a peoples representative, not a faraway, inaccessible leader as his opponents are charging.
Scindia has now stepped down from his familys opulent Raj Vilas Palace to the dirt tracks to fight it out in the most crucial electoral battle in his 14 years as a parliamentarian. Scindias is one of the names being mentioned as a possible prime minister if a Congress party-led government is formed next month.
Scindia was brimming with confidence for weeks after he filed his papers as a Congress nominee, but he is now realising that he is pitted in a tough battle with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee Jaybhan Singh Pawaiya.
The successor of late King Jiyajirao Scindia is still widely respected in the former princely state, and people look at him with awe when he emerges from behind the black-paned door at the Raj Vilas Palace to what seem like battle cries from supporters and a hail of flower petals. Irrespective of political affiliations, local residents refer to him as Maharaj ji (his majesty), not mentioning him by name.
Scindia is pitted against a tough combination of caste politics and a formidable opposition campaign that has touched the raw nerve of several key issues. Critics also say there is a wide chasm between Scindia and the people because of his royal background.
Gwaliors infatuation with Madhavrao Scindia is over, BJP candidate Pawaiya said. People do not like his feudal attitude. Neither does he ever meet his constituents, nor do they ever get to meet him. He still treats them as his subjects, he alleged. I ask people at my public meetings have you seen the maharaja even 14 times in the last 14 years? They say no, Pawaiya added.
I dont think there is any need of answering all these rumours, Scindia said retorting to the charge. I meet thousands of people every day and I dont really have to answer (to) all this....it will only give credence (to the BJP charge).
If at all Scindia feels threatened on home turf, he can flip back records of previous elections to regain confidence. In 1989, he defeated the BJP candidate by 149,000 votes, and in 1991, by over 99,000 votes. In 1996, he beat the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) nominee by a margin of 223,900 votes, the third largest tally in the country.
The BJP did not nominate a candidate against Scindia in the 1996 election, when he contested as an independent on being expelled from the Congress party over his alleged role in a money laundering scandal. He rejoined the party last year after the charges were dropped by a special court.
The BJP was hoping to gain Scindias support for the party, which has among its top leaders Scindias mother, Rajmata (Queen Mother) Vijayaraje Scindia, after the 1996 election. But the move backfired when Scindia supported the United Front in Parliament.
Despite a Rs 5000 crore industrial area set up during his tenure in neighbouring Malanpur, Scindias opponents hold him responsible for the shutdown of three major government-owned heavy industry units, which left an estimated 50,000 people unemployed.
The BJP is pitching for the support of these working class families as well as different caste groups, which it believes are veering towards the party. Realising the opposition strategy, Scindia has started wooing the educated people in the constituency of over 1.2 million people.
Scindia says he did his best to stop the shutdown of the sick units. I dont have a magic wand. I tried my best, I feel the pain of the families which have been affected, he says.
He is also up against rumours. An opposition group has pointed an accusing finger at him for the possible relocation of thousands of village people in one part of the constituency to build a bird sanctuary. A lawyers lobby supporting Scindia said the opposition groups were hiding the fact that the state high court had ruled a year ago against any evacuation.
Scindia has meshed national issues with local themes and the need to give Gwalior a powerful voice in Parliament to ensure its development is the agenda he is presenting to the electorate. It is more of a personal relationship which I share with the people here, he says.