Jaipur: Born a princess and perceived as an outsider in the hazy politics of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, who is set to become the first woman Chief Minister of the desert State, is no novice to intricacies of power.

Daughter of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart late Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia and younger sister of Congress leader late Madhavrao, the 50-year-old Vasundhara, who led the party to an unprecedented majority of its own in the just concluded Assembly polls, had her initiation into politics when as a young girl she accompanied her mother during election tours.

Associated with the BJP since its Jansangh days, Vasundhara, after her marriage to Prince Hemant Singh of Dholpur in 1972, plunged headlong into politics and was first elected to the Rajasthan Assembly in 1985 followed by her nomination to the party national executive in 1987.

She was also vice president of BJP's youth wing prior to being made party vice president in the State in the same year.

In 1989, she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Jhalawar, a performance she replicated in all the subsequent elections of 1991, 1998 and 1999.

Vasundhara was made Union Minister of State for External Affairs in the first Vajpayee Government. Later, she continued to be a minister in the subsequent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government.

Known to have a mind of her own, Vasundhara not only ensured that women candidates crossed the double-digit mark in the allocation of tickets, but also kept controversial 'hindutva' issues at bay during campaigning, save for a promise to enact an anti-conversion law in the party manifesto.

Assisted by a core team of professionals, she chose candidates after a scientific analysis of each and every constituency. "It would be a happy mix keeping in mind ground realities, caste combinations and above all winnability," she had told PTI ahead of the polls.

Asked whether the party would rake up its pet 'hindutva' issues including Ram temple in the poll campaign, she had merely said, "The State has just faced a major drought. The infrastructure, including power, water and education, is in shambles. One cannot think beyond basic needs at this point.

"Development is the key issue. Security of women and dalits is another major issue. One has to be sensitive to that. Of course, national security would be one of the issues," she had said.

An economics and political science graduate, Vasundhara never had any doubts about her victory, notwithstanding the verdict given by opinion polls and exit polls.

"They (pollsters) should be worried about their credibility. They would be proved wrong as was the case in Gujarat," she had asserted confidently.

Interestingly, cooking and gardening, along with photography and art restoration are the pastimes of this down-to-earth Maharani, who considers commitment, planning and continuous learning as the recipe for a successful political career.

PTI