Gwalior: Madhya Pradesh Sports Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, daughter of Vijayaraje Scindia, the country's pre-independence queen has created ripples in the political circles the state with her sudden announcement that she would not contest the next assembly elections also surprising the BJP. However, till now The BJP high command has maintained silence as Yashodhara went to Shivpuri, her home constituency and reiterated her resolve.
Yashodhara's decision is believed to change the power dynamics within the Jaivilas Palace of the Scindias and the BJP's relation with the royal family. Sources said that Yashodhara's decision to quit active politics has put Congressman-turned-BJP leader and union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia at the helm of the affairs of the Jaivilas palace.
The Scindias' have been a dynamic relationship with the power corridors in Madhya Pradesh. After the country became independent in 1947, Queen Vijayaraje Scindia of Gwalior State joined the Congress and became an MLA. The following years saw her clout in the Congress increasing especially in the politics of Gwalior Chambal division.
But in 1967, there was a fight between Vijayaraje and then Chief Minister Dwarka Prasad Mishra which saw the queen leave the Congress along with her supporting MLAs. In view of the infighting, Dwarka Prasad Mishra's government collapsed. This paved the way for a coalition government between Vijayaraje Scindia with Jan Sangh.
This was probably the first non-Congress government in the country. Govind Narayan Singh was made the Chief Minister of the new government, however this government did not last long as the coalition suffered a crushing defeat in the next general election. Congress returned to power but Vijayraje Scindia did not return to Congress.
Her son Madhavrao Scindia had returned to Gwalior after studying in London. Vijayaraje fielded him from Guna parliamentary constituency with barely 25 or 26 years old Madhavrao Scindia winning a landslide victory and reaching the Lok Sabha for the first time. But Madhavrao Scindia's friendship with the Jana Sangh couldn't last long.
His differences with both Jan Sangh and mother Vijayaraje continued to increase until Indira Gandhi imposed emergency in the country 1975. In the meantime, Madhavrao came in contact with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and got inclined towards Congress. In 1977, when the first general elections were held after the removal of Emergency, Madhavrao Scindia owing to differences with the Congress became an independent candidate from Saguna parliamentary constituency of the Congress.
Congress offered an olive branch and did not field any candidate against him and Madhavrao Scindia was elected as an independent MP in Madhya Pradesh. In 1977, when the anti-Congress wave was going on, Madhavrao Scindia was among those MPs of the state who won as a Janata Party candidate. Shortly after the independent victory from Guna, Madhavrao Scindia joined the Congress and the politics of Jai Vilas Palace got divided into a bipolar power struggle between Vijayaraje Scindia and her son Madhavrao Scindia.
After the death of Vijayaraje Scindia on 25 January 2000, her daughter Yashodhara Raje Scindia, who was already active in politics, joined the Jana Sangh as she took over her mother's political legacy. She was elected MLA from Shivpuri assembly constituency for four consecutive times and served in various positions in the BJP government.
She was also the minister of many departments. Bharatiya Janata Party once fielded her in the by-election from Gwalior parliamentary constituency and she won and went to Parliament. In this way, the stake of both the parties the BJP and the Congress remained in Jai Vilas Palace, but when Jyotiraditya Scindia left Congress and joined BJP, the equation changed.
Scindia started getting a lot of attention in place of Yashodhara in BJP and since then Yashodhara started feeling isolated, sources said. Yashodhara has been showing her displeasure for the last two years on some pretext or the other. Sources said that this has concerned the BJP as the power tussle between Jyotiraditya and Yashodhara goes on.
State Vice President of Congress RP Singh says that “if the daughter of the Rajmata who nurtured and built the BJP is talking about not contesting elections, then there is a deep seated meaning behind it”.
