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DEMOCRACY of DANCE BATTLEGROUND GUJARAT
Ahmedabad: During his twoday election campaign in Gujara t, Prime Minister N arendra Modi met the patriarch of the erstwhile royal family of Nawanagar state, Jam Saheb Shtrushalyasinhji Jadeja. The meeting was construed as agesture by Modi to placate the protesting Kshatriy as over BJP candidate Parshottam Rupala's objectiona ble remarks about the community.
After over a month of protests, the BJP has managed to garner support of 49 erstwhile royals, who have appealed to the community to end the agitation. How effective their appeal will be is yet to be seen as they are no longer active in electoral politics.
The only member of any erstwhile royal family from Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha is BJP's Kesridevsinh Jhala from Wankaner.
However, there was a time when as many as five members of royal families were simultaneously sent to the Lok Sabha in two consecutive elections in the 1980s.
Gujarat had roughly over 300 princely states and small principalities that merged with the Union of India, a considerably high number compar ed to the total 562 princely states across the country. After independence, elections were the only way for the dethroned royals to remain active...