It is 'swabhiman' vs 'virasat' in Amethi

AMETHI: In Amethi, both the wives of Raja Sanjay Sinh are contesting against each other. The natural opponents have their own reasons for contesting elections. Garima, like a true die-hard, is in the fray for her 'swabhimaan' (self respect). Ameeta, on the other hand, hopes to inherit Sanjay's 'virasat' (legacy).
Common conversations around them in the constituency begin with whether Garima Sinh will win the battle of self respect or not and locals sympathise with her. "Entry of Ameeta in Sanjay's life in late 1980s jolted Garima's self respect," said Smita, a local school teacher.
Locals claimed Garima did not get the respect due to her. "Raja aur pat rani ne unhein mahal (Bhupati Nivas) mein ghusne nahi diya ... Unka haq chheen lia (Sanjay and Ameeta didn't let her come into the palace for years. Didn't give her the due)," said Santosh, owner of a photocopy shop near the palace.
An elderly person in the area, Mahesh said, "The queen's time has come, now she will take revenge." The observation appears true considering Rani Garima's 'vanvaas' (exile) ended after 19 years in 2014 when she was able to take control of the 450-year-old Bhupati Bhavan with the help of her son Anant and some loyals.
Talking to reporters at that time, Garima said, "I had been thrown out of the palace by the scheming Ameeta Modi (Sinh) and Sanjay Sinh. I did not protest then and suffered in silence. But when I saw my son and daughters being side-lined and denied their rights, I decided to come out in the open after more than two decades of suffering and injustice."
Later that year, Anant joined BJP and campaigned for its candidate Smriti Irani. Locals endorse the queen's calibre as she enters the contest. "Hamka malum tha ... rani bahut jabar hain (I always knew, the queen is a fighter)," said taxi driver Ankit Yadav.
Garima is confident too. Recently, she told the press she may be a late debutant, but politics is in her blood. She is the neice of former prime minister late VP Singh who belonged to the royal family of Daiya (Allahabad district).
Ameeta, on the other hand, is trying hard. But there is no dearth of challenges for her, beginning with winning the heart of the locals. In 2012 Vidhan Sabha elections, she was the only royal who lost and Gayatri Prasad Prajapati won the seat.