Former Princess of Bikaner lends a royal touch to Rajasthan Assembly polls

Bikaner, Nov 22 : Erstwhile Princess of Bikaner Siddhi Kumari, who is in the electoral fray as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, brings about a royal touch to the state polls.

Rajasthan boasts of royal legacies and now these royal families are all set to make a mark in the state polls as well.

Such is the attraction to power that the former princess has made a foray into the land of the common man from her royal palace and is walking on foot to get to know the locals and garner votes.

"There are many issues and this region is very developed. The BJP government has worked for the development of the region and I want to take the development process to the next level," said Siddhi.

Siddhi (35) is contesting from Bikaner East and is keeping alive the legacy of her family. Maharaja Karni Singh, her grandfather had won the Bikaner Lok Sabha seat five times.

Even the locals are happy to see the former Princess mingle with them and understand their woes.

"She has come out of her palace and is among us. She wanted to help the people and do good for them and even the locals are happy and she is getting all the love," said Sunita Devi, a resident.

All the 200 constituencies in Rajasthan will go to polls on December 04 to elect a new state Assembly and counting of votes will take place on December 08.

The main battle in the state is between the ruling BJP and the Central-ruling Congress party.

The BJP's image has been damaged after violent protests over the issue of jobs and college quotas for the Gujjar community.

Rajasthan is one of the six states going to polls, which experts say could prove a dress rehearsal for a general election in early 2009, between the ruling Congress-led coalition and the main opposition alliance led by the BJP.

ANI