This is the story about a king, a queen and a handful of prince and princess.In a story that began once upon a time and is repeated every five years, the royals of Rajasthan a few weeks ago went down to nomination offices and, egged on by masses, signed up to fight political battles. In a state where ‘‘Ji Hukum’’ is still part of the daily lingo, the royal families of Rajasthan are on familiar ground, with the battlefield being strewn with family feuds and old enmities.Walking in the bylanes of Alwar’s old city, Congress MLA ‘Prince’ Jitender Singh is weaving his way through the labyrinth of houses, reaching out to the masses, hoping to make it to the Jaipur Vidhan Sabha for a second time. Also making her way through the very same lanes is ‘Princess’ Meenakshi Kumari, Singh’s sister.‘‘I was flabbergasted when I heard she was contesting,’’ admits Singh. ‘‘I had spoken to her around Rakhi and she never mentioned anything. Since she filed her nomination, we haven’t spoken.’’ Apparently Meenakshi, who is contesting as an Independent, was equally surprised. ‘‘I am totally unprepared,’’ she says candidly. ‘‘But so many people came to me and asked me to contest, I couldn’t say no.’’As brother and sister fight it out, the masses have their own theory on the royal contest. ‘‘The root of the problem is in a college feud,’’ begins shopkeeper Sitaram Gupta. ‘‘Someone approached Jitender for help, he refused to bend the rules and so they conspired and convinced his sister to fight against him. It is unlikely she will win, but she can do damage.’’‘‘It’s their father and grandfather we really respect,’’ Gupta adds. ‘‘They did a lot for us. Things are not the same now.’’But the royal lineage still stands the siblings in good stead. ‘‘I am going door-to-door and telling people about whose daughter I am,’’ says Meenakshi.A few bylanes away, Singh agrees that his background helps. However, he adds, “It helped a lot more last time, when I was contesting my first election. This time people are also looking at the work I have done.’’Watching the royals closely is BJP candidate Prof Pushpa Gupta. ‘‘The royal household is having an in-house fight,’’ she says over the sound of beating drums. ‘‘Where do they have the time to fight the real battle? Last time, Jitender Singh won by chance. This time it’s going to be different.’’From former Karauli ‘Maharaja’ Krishna Chandra Pal to ‘Maharani’ Divya Singh of Bharatpur, who happens to be the Indian National Lok Dal chief ministerial candidate, there are other erstwhile royals doing it the democratic way. And if they are not fighting the poll wars, they are cheering from the sidelines. Raj Singh Dungarpur, the former maharaja of Dungarpur, is walking that extra mile in the tribal belts of Rajasthan to help the BJP. In Jodhpur, the royal family has given its stamp of approval to BJP candidates, showering their favourite Mahender Jhabak with extra attention.As they get out of their havelis and meander through the streets, they leave behind a bit of ‘‘yesteryear magic’’ on their campaign trails. ‘‘Each time the prince or princess walk by, I recall the stories we heard about their parents from our grandparents. Rajas don’t exist anymore, but it is fun thinking about those days. Much more interesting than regular, sometimes boring campaigns,’’ says Gupta.
