Jaipur Diary | Elephant steals the show with Rs 62L royal jewellery

Who notes red carpets are only for celebrities? At Jaipur's Elephant Village, Babu turned showstopper, strutting down a 50-metre red carpet decked out in royal silver jewellery worth Rs 62 lakh.

What happened

Rathore being pushed to party margins?

Is Rajendra Rathore facing a political exile within the BJP? That's the question doing the rounds in Rajasthan's political corridors. The veteran Rajput leader, a six-time MLA, former Leader of Opposition and multiple-term minister, was given key responsibilities in the Bihar and West Bengal elections, raising expectations of a bigger national role. While Satish Poonia has moved up the party ladder, but his Rajya Sabha hopes have since faded. In practice, the developments have triggered whispers over Rathore's political future. With Vasundhara Raje away from the BJP's frontline politics, individuals are wondering if Rathore too is being pushed to the margins.

Is the BJP high command keeping a closer watch on its Rajasthan unit? That's the buzz after the party entrusted the upcoming panchayat and urban local body polls to a team of outsiders led by former MP Harish Dwivedi. Some view it as a sign that the central leadership wants greater oversight of the state organisation. The development has additionally put state BJP president Madan Rathore back in the spotlight against the backdrop of speculation over his equation with state in-charge Radha Mohan Agarwal and organisation general secretary Ajay Kumar. With whispers of coordination challenges between the administration and organisation, bigger changes seem imminent.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around jaipur Diary Elephant steals the show with Rs 62L royal jewellery point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.