Who Is 'Royal' Diya Kumari? One Of Two Rajasthan's New Deputy CMs

With four out of the five States declaring results for their Chief Ministers last week, all eyes were on Rajasthan, with voters on their toes to hear the fate of their State today. On December 12, the victorious Bharatiya Janata Party declared that first-time MLA Bhajanlal Sharma would be assigned the pivotal seat, with two deputy chief ministers-- scheduled caste leader Prem Chand Bairwa and the heiress of the erstwhile royal family, MP Diya Kumari. 

Although women's representation in the legislative assembly elections across all five States was tepid, most female contestants emerged victorious in their respective constituencies, with the newly appointed Rajasthan Deputy CM gathering more than 1 lakh votes. She won from the Vidhyadhar Nagar constituency, beating Congress' Sitaram Agarwal by over 71,000 votes.

Rajasthan's New Deputy CM

In her acceptance speech, Kumari thanked the Prime Minister for the opportunity to serve the people of Rajasthan, elucidating on his vision for the women of the State. "PM Modi cares for women and policies have been framed by keeping them in focus. Today, trust has been shown in me," Kumari said, according to a report by the Asian News International.

"So, I would like to thank PM Modi, the party's national president, Home Minister, Defence Minister, state president, all in-charges and everyone else for considering me eligible for this and giving me this responsibility...I am grateful and happy to have received this opportunity. We will work together," she further said.

Speculations about why she was not given the head role of chief minister sparked among people, as many suspected a feud between her and Rajasthan's other prominent woman BJP leader and former CM, Vasundhara Raje. However, Kumari clarified that all BJP leaders are in this together as each other's supporters. "All of us have worked together. She was there too, I received her blessings too," Kumari emphasised.

Entering Politics

Diya Kumari joined the BJP in September 2013 in a grand ceremony hosting 2 lakh people including Prime Minister Narendra Modi (then Gujarat's CM) and Vasundhara Raje. She contested the 2013 assembly election as a BJP candidate from the Sawai Madhopur constituency and became MLA.

Cut to 2019, she was elected as a Member of Parliament to the Lok Sabha from Rajsamand, following 8.58 lakh votes. She had won by a vast margin of 5.51 lakh votes, making her one of the top 20 biggest margins of victory in 2019.

Diya Kumari's step-grandmother and former queen of Jaipur Gayatri Devi, had been elected as an MP from the Jaipur constituency three times in 1962, 1967, and 1971. She had won these polls by record margins on the Swatantra Party ticket. Her father, Indian army officer and hotelier, Bhawani Singh had contested in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections as a Congress candidate but was defeated. Her 

Who Is Diya Kumari?

Diya Kumari is fondly known as "people's princess", owing to her regal background as well as power to win over the public. Kumari is the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jaipur during the British Raj. She was born on 30 January 1971 to Bhawani Singh and Rajmata Padmini Devi.

She holds a Graduate Diploma in Fine Art (Decorative Painting) earned from the Chelsea School of Arts, London in 1989 and an Hon. Doctorate in Philosophy from Amity University, Jaipur. Kumari is believed to be a billionaire, managing several properties, businesses, trusts and schools. Her residence is the City Palace in Jaipur.

She has three children, Princess Gauravi Kumari, Prince Padmanabh Singh, and Prince Lakshraj Prakash Singh. She runs a foundation in her name, the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation, which aims to mobilise social entrepreneurship for women. Additionally, she was made the brand ambassador of the Save The Girl Child campaign of the Rajasthan Government.