Vasundhara Raje is looking for a second innings in Rajasthan. The state goes to polls on December 1. Ms Raje is the only Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to have led the party to an absolute majority in the state in 2003, securing 120 seats.
The party had earlier never been able to cross the magic figure of 100 in the 200-member House.
However, in the 2008 elections, she was blamed when the BJP gained only 78 seats. She was accused of not being able to tackle her detractors and rally the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) into canvassing for her.
But now Ms Raje says that the party is "together" because they have all decided that they are going to win the election.
Although she is the party's star campaigner in Rajasthan, Ms Raje does not overlook the Narendra Modi effect. "He is a person they have faith in. People want Modi at the Centre," she says, adding that these assembly polls are a semi-final to 2014.
But despite being a five-time Member of Parliament and a three-time MLA and becoming a chief minister once, Ms Raje candidly admits that being a woman in politics is not easy.
"You have to work doubly hard," she says, adding that a woman politician is not easily accepted by her male colleagues.
In a reflective moment, she tells us that as a young girl, when she came home in Gwalior during school holidays, she often found that her mother was not home. The late Vijayaraje Scindia was often away in the villages working with the people.
"At that time I wanted somebody around to take me to the movies or for an ice cream, but when I had to find my mother, I had to go among the people and that's how I learnt my politics," she signs off with a wistful smile.
The party had earlier never been able to cross the magic figure of 100 in the 200-member House.
However, in the 2008 elections, she was blamed when the BJP gained only 78 seats. She was accused of not being able to tackle her detractors and rally the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) into canvassing for her.
Although she is the party's star campaigner in Rajasthan, Ms Raje does not overlook the Narendra Modi effect. "He is a person they have faith in. People want Modi at the Centre," she says, adding that these assembly polls are a semi-final to 2014.
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"You have to work doubly hard," she says, adding that a woman politician is not easily accepted by her male colleagues.
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"At that time I wanted somebody around to take me to the movies or for an ice cream, but when I had to find my mother, I had to go among the people and that's how I learnt my politics," she signs off with a wistful smile.
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