Baroda MaharajaSaheb's wife MaharaniSaheb Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad & their son YuvrajSaheb Samarjitsingh Gaekwad joined BJP, but H.H.MaharajaSaheb Ranjitsinhji himself has not joined the BJP. He is a congressman. Y.S. Jaideepsinh of Kotharia. ----- Original Message ----- From: "akshay chavan" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 8:04 PM Subject: [INDIA-ROYALTY] Election News:Baroda > Erstwhile royal family members join BJP > > IANS[ SUNDAY, MARCH 21, 2004 05:08:17 PM ] > > NEW DELHI : Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad and Ranjit Singh > Gaekwad, members of the erstwhile royal family of > Vadodara, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here > Sunday. > Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad, a well-known social activist > in Vadodara, said her decision to join the BJP stemmed > from the desire to prevent the Congress party from > capturing power in New Delhi . > "The Congress is responsible for the country's > poverty," she said, giving her reason for joining the > BJP. > Gaekwad had unsuccessfully contested from Vadodara > (formerly Baroda ) in the 1996 Lok Sabha election. > > The erstwhile royal couple would campaign for the > BJP in the upcoming general election > > ________________________________________________ > > Baroda royals join the BJP > > Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad, wife of king Ranjitsingh > Gaekwad of Baroda, and her son Samarjitsingh Gaekwad > joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at party > president M Venkaiah Naidu's residence on Sunday. "She > expressed her desire to join the BJP and we are > welcoming her into the party," Mr Naidu said. > > He said the two would campaign for the party in the > coming Lok Sabha elections. > > "The BJP is strong in Gujarat and this family joining > the party will give it more strength," Mr Naidu said. > > Ms Raje lost the 1996 Lok Sabha election, which she > contested as an Independent from Vadodara. > > After joining the BJP, she said, "The BJP has already > declared its candidate from the Vadodara seat and we > did not join the party on the condition that I should > contest the polls." She added that she would be happy > campaigning for the party. Samarjitsingh, said he > would like to concentrate on working for the party and > grow with the organisation before throwing his hat in > the electoral ring. > > The royal family has held the Lok Sabha seat five > times in the past. Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and > BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley were also present > > ____________________________________________________ > > Shubhanginiraje to take on Dinsha > > TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2004 11:51:04 > PM ] > > AHMEDABAD: In a calculated move, the BJP has fielded > Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad, of the former princely state > of Baroda , as the party's candidate from Kheda, a > seat held by Congress veteran Dinsha Patel. > The central Parliamentary Board of the party, at its > meeting in New Delhi , also cleared the candidature of > former BJP minister Liladhar Vaghela for the Kapadvanj > seat against former chief minister Shankarsinh > Vaghela. > Another former minister, Nitin Patel, a confidant of > former chief minister Keshubhai Patel, has been chosen > for the coveted Mehsana constituency. Nitin got the > nod over outgoing MP Punjaji Thakore because of an > overwhelming demand from the Patel community. > Thakore has been reportedly promised a Rajya Sabha > nomination. The board has also chosen Anil Patel, a > BJP leader from Silvassa, for the Lok Sabha > constituency of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. > > With this selection, the BJP line-up for all the 26 > constituencies of Gujarat which go to polls on April > 20 is complete. The filing of nomination papers will > start from Wednesday and will continue till March 31. > The last day for withdrawal of nominations is April 3. > > BJP sources claimed that Subhanginiraje, wife of > former Congress MP Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, could swing the > Kshatriya and OBC voters in Kheda. She had contested > the Vadodara seat as an Independent in 1996 but lost > to Satyajit Gaekwad of the Congress who has been > nominated once again from Vadodara. > Senior leaders of the party at one stage were planning > to rope in Smriti Malhotra, 'Tulsi' of 'Kyunki..' > fame, but found Shubhangini to be a better candidate. > > In order to give Shankersinh Vaghela a tough fight > in Kapadvanj, the BJP considered many names. > Ultimately, the choice fell upon Liladhar Vaghela, who > had lost the last assembly election > > > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. > http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html > > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >

Kings who chose to be public servants RAJAHMUNDRY: They were the masters who chose to become people�s servants. Though their princely states are a history, they still retain the ability to revive the memories of their benevolence and munificence and charm their way to victory. There are several such rajas, maharajas and zamindars in East Godavari district who played an active role in politics and held sway over their subjects even after their princely states vanished. Take for instance the princely family of Tuni. Raja Vatsavayi Venkata Krishnamraju Bahadur represented Tuni from 1952 to 1967. His daughter MN Vijayalakshmi held the seat from 1972 to 1983. It was only after the advent of Telugu Desam that the uninterrupted reign of the royal family was challenged. In 1983, a young and largely unknown lawyer from Yadava community trounced them and went on to become a minister in NT Rama Rao�s Cabinet. That was Yanamala Ramakrishnudu. To challenge his uninterrupted run since 1983, the Congress is likely to field Raja Ashok Babu of the Tuni royal family. In Ramachandrapuram Assembly constituency too, the Kota royal family held sway over the voters. Between them, SRK Rajagopala Narasa Raju and SRK Ramachandra Raju of the princely family held the seat for eight years. Now a scion of the same family is aspiring to contest from the seat on Congress ticket. The Kapileswarapuram Zamindars were in fact king makers in the district for several decades and represented a strong group within the Congress till the advent of the Janata Party in 1977. SBPBK Pattabhirama Rao of the zamindar family was several times MP of Rajahmundry and went on to become a minister in Indira Gandhi�s cabinet. His brother SBPBK Satyanarayana Rao is the present MP of Rajahmundry. Despite his age, this octogenarian leader is aspiring for BJP ticket to contest for Lok Sabha. The royal families of Pithapuram and Peddapuram however remained aloof from politics. They confined themselves to promoting academic and industrial activity in their areas of influence. ��The point to remember is that these royal families still command great respect and their contribution is firmly etched in the minds of the people,�� a senior Congress leader told The New Indian Express. ��See, the acronym of Tuni raja is Bulli Raja and Kapileswarapuram Zamindar is more popular as Chanti Dora. This is a measure of their proximity to the people,�� he added. 23 Mar 2004 ____________________________________________________ Royalty, TDP lose sheen in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram C ountless impressive Hanuman temples dot the Vizianagaram landscape, but there is no trace of Goddess Lakshmi anywhere. Is she terribly disappointed with the district? How can that be possible when Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju represents Vizianagaram in the state assembly? Time seems to have hardly left any imprint of development on the district. There are no roads, only long muddy stretches filled with dirty puddles of water. There is no drainage system, only stinking open-air drains. There are hardly any impressive structures, only crumbling edifices that cry for a coat of paint. But for the impressive educational and music institutions left behind by its erstwhile ruler P Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju and singers Ghantasala Venkateswar Rao and P Suseela it gave birth to, the district has little to boast of. Despite this, it is virtually impossible to hate Vizianagaram. In fact, one begins to love it, especially because of its people. Known for their laid-back style that would give Hyderabad's nawabi culture a run for its money, the people are still loyal to the erstwhile ruling family. In an era when people do not hesitate to stab their best friend in the back for the most meaningless benefit, the district's loyalty to its erstwhile rulers is unparalleled. Such were the favours doled out by P V G Raju (whose uncle P Vijayarama Gajapathi Raju, better known as Vizzy, once captained India) to his citizens. Acres and acres of land have been donated to his subjects, more than a dozen colleges have been gifted away to trusts and countless tenants still pay peanuts for sprawling commercial buildings controlled by the royal family. "Such is the people's loyalty that even a dog will effortlessly win an election if Vizianagaram is told the pet belongs to the royal family," says Patri Ramakrishna, a retired lecturer at the Maharaja Autonomous College. "The family has donated a lot of its property, unlike several other rulers who converted their palaces into five-star hotels," he says. Despite such unflinching loyalty, Ashok has been facing criticism for ignoring the district. "Compare Vizianagaram with Kuppam," says another retired lecturer. "What has Ashok done despite being the second in command in the Telugu Desam Party government? Despite being elected from the constituency for more than two decades (he won the seat in 1978 as a Janata Party nominee; he has been representing the constituency as a TDP legislator since 1983), what has he done for us? See this colony, there is not even a road." A subtle wave of resentment is seen all over the district against the Rajus for being inaccessible and not pursuing any development plans for the district. "People are obligated to the family, and they cannot raise their voice against Ashok," says P Venugopal, advocate, Vizianagaram. "They want service-oriented people who will at least hear their problems if not do anything. But he seems to be overconfident of his vote bank." "What did he do for us?" asks A Krishna, a rickshaw-puller. "Many, like me, will criticise him. But they won�t ditch him and vote for the Congress." The Congress nominee from the constituency is K Virabhadra Swamy, who is trying his luck against Ashok for the third time after having lost the 1989 and 1994 assembly polls from the constituency. Ashok may not lose the election, but the resentment against its star candidate in the district may come as a rude shock to the TDP which considers the area its bastion. In the 1994 assembly poll it won all the six seats � Bobbili, Chepurupalli, Gajapathinagaram, Sathivada, Terlam and Vizianagaram � in the district. These six assembly segments besides Sathivada in neighbouring Srikakulam district comprise the Bobbili Lok Sabha seat. In the 1996 Lok Sabha election, the Congress could secure a majority in Sathivada. In the 1998 Lok Sabha election, the party improved its position by capturing more votes in the Cheepurupalli and Vizianagaram segments. That is perhaps the reason why the TDP is worried. Its nominee for the Bobbili Lok Sabha seat, AP Minister for Women and Child Welfare Padala Aruna (she represented Gajapathinagaram in the dissolved assembly) has a tough time against the Congress's Botsa Satyanarayana. The latter lost against the TDP's Kondapalli Pydithalli Naidu in both the 1996 and 1998 Lok Sabha elections. While the TDP polled 276,282 and 298,830 votes respectively in the 1996 and 1998 polls, the Congress got 255,270 and 271,962 votes. The Bharatiya Janata Party increased its tally from 7,633 in 1996 to 105,872 votes in 1998. The developments seem to have shaken Ashok, and he has for the first time resorted to door-to-door campaigning in his constituency. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance Tax Center - File online. File on time. http://taxes.yahoo.com/filing.html

At 10:51  28/03/04 -0800, you wrote: > Kings who chose to be public servants > > >RAJAHMUNDRY: They were the masters who chose to become >people’s servants. Though their princely states are a >history, they still retain the ability to revive the >memories of their benevolence and munificence and >charm their way to victory. > >There are several such rajas, maharajas and zamindars >in East Godavari district who played an active role in >politics and held sway over their subjects even after >their princely states vanished. Take for instance the >princely family of Tuni. > >Raja Vatsavayi Venkata Krishnamraju Bahadur >represented Tuni from 1952 to 1967. His daughter MN >Vijayalakshmi held the seat from 1972 to 1983. It was >only after the advent of Telugu Desam that the >uninterrupted reign of the royal family was >challenged. In 1983, a young and largely unknown >lawyer from Yadava community trounced them and went on >to become a minister in NT Rama Rao’s Cabinet. > >That was Yanamala Ramakrishnudu. To challenge his >uninterrupted run since 1983, the Congress is likely >to field Raja Ashok Babu of the Tuni royal family. > >In Ramachandrapuram Assembly constituency too, the >Kota royal family held sway over the voters. Between >them, SRK Rajagopala Narasa Raju and SRK Ramachandra >Raju of the princely family held the seat for eight >years. Now a scion of the same family is aspiring to >contest from the seat on Congress ticket. > >The Kapileswarapuram Zamindars were in fact king >makers in the district for several decades and >represented a strong group within the Congress till >the advent of the Janata Party in 1977. SBPBK >Pattabhirama Rao of the zamindar family was several >times MP of Rajahmundry and went on to become a >minister in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet. His brother SBPBK >Satyanarayana Rao is the present MP of Rajahmundry. >Despite his age, this octogenarian leader is aspiring >for BJP ticket to contest for Lok Sabha. > >The royal families of Pithapuram and Peddapuram >however remained aloof from politics. They confined >themselves to promoting academic and industrial >activity in their areas of influence. > >‘‘The point to remember is that these royal families >still command great respect and their contribution is >firmly etched in the minds of the people,’’ a senior >Congress leader told The New Indian Express. ‘‘See, >the acronym of Tuni raja is Bulli Raja and >Kapileswarapuram Zamindar is more popular as Chanti >Dora. This is a measure of their proximity to the >people,’’ he added. > >23 Mar 2004 > > I'm continuing to learn new things. I must admit I haven't heard of the Tuni Royal Famil before. I also don't know where the following individual belongs. Shri UPPALAPATI VENKATA KRISHNAM RAJU born 20th January 1940 in Mogaltur, Distt. West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, member of the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha, member of the Committee on Commerce and the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting 1998/99, Whip, B.J.P. Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha 1999, member of the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme 1999/2000, member of the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Commerce and Industry 2000, Union Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs 2000/2001, Union Minister of State, Ministry of Defence 2001/-. President of the Telugu Artists Association for 18 years, actively engaged in Sangh Pariwar activities. Interests include.. welfare of the people, reading, studying rural folk, religious rituals, educating people. Sports include... Kabaddi and volleyball; selected for national games in Kabaddi and was a renowned inter-collegiate volleyball player, married 20th September 1996 Smt. Uppalapati Shyamala Devi and has issue, three daughters. He is the son of Shri UPPALAPATI VEERA VENKATA SATYANARAYANA RAJU. Also, is Kurupam in Andhra Pradesh, they seem to be related to the Vizianagram family as well. Cheers, Henry