Abhilash Khandekar

The Scindia legacy: From Ranoji to Jyotiraditya Abhilash Khandekar

From royalty to politics, a hard-hitting look at the history of one of the

greatest dynasties of India, mired in wars, public disputes and property

contentions.

The Scindia dynasty, a 300-year-old royal house, is perhaps the only family

in India which is known not just for its unlimited riches and never-ending

popularity but also for its immense social service, mainly through politics.

There are innumerable stories-some told repeatedly and others seldom

told-from the time Ranoji Scindia founded the dynasty in 1731 to Rajmata

Vijaya Raje Scindia's unwilling entry in politics in 1957 to Jyotiraditya

Scindia's entry in the Rajya Sabha in 2020.

The book deftly outlines how, of the three generations in politics over the

centuries, it was only Madhavrao-Rajmata's son and Jyotiraditya's father-who

had never lost an election. He was the darling of people from his erstwhile

royal house of Gwalior, until his untimely demise in an air crash. Rajmata

and her grandson Jyotiraditya were members of both houses of Indian

Parliament at different times. The two share several similarities: both were

in the Congress first and then left it dramatically, to say the least. Both,

angered by prevailing political situations within their party, brought down

their own governments-some 40 years apart!

This book unveils many stories, about how the Scindias have conducted

themselves in public with a degree of elan, despite the bitter legal and

political fights which were the bane of the Scindias.

The Scindia Legacy showcases the courage and charisma of one of the

eminent political families of India.